· July 13, 2012

The War on Women Plays Out in the States

  New research from the Guttmacher Institute shows a dramatic increase in legislation aimed at restricting women’s reproductive freedom. This chart shows that the past two years have seen more restrictions on abortions passed by state legislatures than in any year since they started tracking in 1985. So far in 2012, states have enacted 39 new restrictions on abortions. Although this is less than 2011, when 80 restrictions were enacted, it is still a higher number of restrictions than any other year prior to 2011.  The Guttmacher Institute reports that 55% of women who are of reproductive age live in one of the 26 states that are hostile to abortions. The trend is alarming and but it’s playing out in Ohio too. In the past year, in Ohio, four bills have been enacted that limit women’s access to abortion. You can read Guttmacher’s full report here.