Roe v. Wade has been overturned. What happens now?

This Matters

Guest: Rosemary Westwood, reproductive health reporter

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right for a woman to end a pregnancy — will lead to bans on abortion in more than half of U.S states. That means abortion clinics will be forced to close in large swathes of the country. According to Planned Parenthood, more than 36 million people could lose abortion access. Rosemary Westwood, reproductive health reporter and host of the podcast “Banned,” explains how one Mississippi case led to the end of the protected right to legal abortions and what this new reality in the U.S. means.

UPDATE: A Louisiana court has temporarily blocked the state’s trigger laws on abortion. The blocking is temporary and a hearing on the matter has been set for July 8. Abortions can resume in Louisiana in the meantime.

Audio sources: Reuters, New York Times, PBS, CNBC