Abortion: 19 states with toughest laws
Roe v. Wade guaranteed a woman's right to abortion in 1973, but abortion rights have been a tricky issue ever since. Recently, states seem to be putting up more barriers to abortion. In the past year, for example, six states passed laws that ban abortion starting at the 20th week after conception - based on the controversial theory that the fetus can feel pain at that point.
The abortion rights organization NARAL Pro-Choice America tracks changes in abortion laws and issues an annual report card that grades each state based on its access to abortion. Whatever your outlook, keep clicking to see the 19 states that flunked NARAL's pro-choice test...
19. Michigan
Michigan kicks off NARAL's list of pro-choice failures. For the 20th year in a row, the Great Lakes State received an "F" for its restrictions on abortion. Eighty-three percent of Michigan counties have no abortion provider.
(Pictured: Michigan State Capitol, Lansing)
18. Oklahoma
Ninety-six percent of counties in Oklahoma don't have an abortion provider. The state has not elected a pro-choice member of Congress in more than 14 years. In April 2011, Oklahoma's governor signed into law a prohibition on abortion 20 weeks after conception.
(Pictured: Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City)
17. Indiana
The number of abortion providers in Indiana has dropped by half since 1984. Today, 93 percent of counties in the state don't provide access to abortion. Indiana is one of six states that recently passed a law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
(Pictured: Indiana State Capitol, Indianapolis)
16. South Carolina
Abortion laws in South Carolina are so strict that they even regulate the size of reproductive health clinics' doorways and the type of landscaping permitted outside the building. Ninety-one percent of South Carolina counties don't have an abortion provider.
(Pictured: South Carolina State Capitol, Columbia)
15. Alabama
Ninety-three percent of counties in Alabama don't have an abortion provider. And despite high STD rates, Alabama's sex education classes emphasize abstinence as the best way to avoid STDs.
(Pictured: Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery)
14. Texas
Both the Texas House and Senate are anti-choice, with numerous laws restricting abortion. Ninety-three percent of Texas counties don't have an abortion provider. Within the past year, Texas enacted a law that bans abortion 20 weeks after conception.
(Pictured: Texas State Capitol, Austin)
12. Virginia (TIE)
Eighty-six percent of counties in Virginia don't have an abortion provider. The state's board of health has also enacted Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, rules that specifically restrict access to abortion.
(Pictured: Virginia State Capitol, Richmond)
12. Idaho (TIE)
Idaho's Senate and House are both anti-choice. Ninety three percent of counties in the state don't have an abortion provider. Idaho is another state to have recently banned abortion 20 weeks after conception.
(Pictured: Idaho State Capitol, Boise)
11. Pennsylvania
Seventy-eight percent of counties in Pennsylvania don't have an abortion provider. Although its current governor is anti-choice, Pennsylvania's State and House consist of pro-choice as well as pro-life members.
(Pictured: Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg)
9. Ohio (TIE)
Ninety percent of counties in Ohio don't have an abortion provider. The state has received an "F" in every year of NARAL's rankings.
(Pictured: Ohio State Capitol, Columbus)
9. South Dakota (TIE)
Only two percent of South Dakota counties have an abortion provider. Since 1984, the only abortion care center in South Dakota has been staffed by doctors brought in from other states.
(Pictured: South Dakota State Capitol, Pierre)
7. Nebraska (TIE)
Since 2010, Nebraska has banned abortion care after 20 weeks, and required women seeking abortions to go through mental health screenings. Ninety-seven percent of Nebraska counties don't have an abortion provider.
(Pictured: Nebraska State Capitol, Lincoln)
7. Utah (TIE)
Utah's sex education classes push abstinence, forbidding teachers from discussing the benefits of contraception. The state's government is strictly anti-choice, and only seven percent of Utah counties provide access to abortion.
(Pictured: Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City)
6. Kentucky
Kentucky has received a failing grade from NARAL every year of the rankings. Ninety-eight percent of Kentucky counties have no abortion provider.
(Pictured: Kentucky State Capitol, Frankfort)
4. Missouri (TIE)
Ninety-six percent of counties in Missouri don't have an abortion provider, and many Missouri laws further restrict women's access to abortion.
(Pictured: Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City)
4. Arkansas (TIE)
The number of abortion providers in Arkansas declined by over half from 2000 to 2005. Now, 97 percent of counties in Arkansas don't provide access to abortion.
(Pictured: Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock)
3. Mississippi
A whopping 99 percent of Mississippi counties don't have an abortion provider, and its State and House are entirely anti-choice.
(Pictured: Mississippi State Capitol, Jackson)
2. North Dakota
Only two percent of counties in North Dakota have abortion providers. The state also happens to be the only one in which the teen pregnancy rate did not drop between 2000 and 2005.
(Pictured: North Dakota State Capitol, Bismarck)
1. Louisiana
Louisiana has the strictest rules in the country against abortion, according to NARAL. The state actually has a law that allows state health officials to suspend the license of outpatient abortion facilities. The state's sex education requirements are also lax. Ninety-two percent of Louisiana counties don't have an abortion provider.
(Pictured: Louisiana State Capitol, Baton Rouge)