Last week Delaware became the first state since Donald Trump was elected President to sign into law a bill ensuring abortion remains should Roe v. Wade be overturned. The initiative follows Trump’s campaign pledge to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationally, as well as the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch, who has indicated that he opposes abortion.
“This new law is important because it says to women that you are important, that you have the ability to decide when to have a child, and the state supports you in making the decision that is best for you and your family,” Elizabeth Nash, an analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion policy, told Reuters.
A 20 week abortion ban has been a law in Delaware for decades, though it has never been enforced.
A similar bill to protect access to abortion was recently passed by the Illinois House, an effort to remove a “trigger provision” in Illinois law that would threaten access to legal abortion if Roe v Wade were overturned. However, Governor Bruce Rauner promises to veto HB 40 despite his campaign promises that he would defend abortion access in Illinois.
The states that have already added abortion access protections before this year include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, and Washington.
Media Resources: Reuters 6/9/17; ABC News 6/7/17; Feminist Majority Foundation 4/27/17; The Hill 6/9/17
