A year after Dobbs v. Jackson: Majority of Americans not happy with abortion restrictions
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - One year ago today, the Supreme Court issued the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson ruling which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade - taking a woman's right to abortion across the United States and making it a state's decision.
While things may not have changed here in Pennsylvania, things in certain states have shifted dramatically and polling shows that a majority of Americans are not happy about that.
In a new CBS News poll, 57-percent of Americans said that overturning Roe v. Wade has been bad for the country and among those who said it has been bad, 86-percent said that the health and lives of women are more at risk. More than 80-percent said that a constitutional right was taken away and 75-percent said that most states are making abortion access more difficult.
President Joe Biden echoed the sentiment of the poll in a recent speech.
"We've seen the devastating effects all across the country," the President said. "Women turned away from emergency rooms, denied life-saving care, moms, college [students], teachers, nurses, traveling hundreds of miles to get basic productive healthcare."
Now, on the other sie of the issue, the 43-percent of "pro-life Americans" said in the CBS poll that the overturn has been good for the country with 86-percent saying the unborn are being protected and 63-percent saying that conservative values are being recognized.
It is important to note - this poll tracks very closely with what Americans were saying prior to the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling.
Since his time as Pennsylvania Attorney General, and throughout his campaign last year, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has continued to affirm is support for a woman's right to choose and has vowed to never sign an abortion ban should it reach his desk.
One year ago, the Supreme Court took away a freedom from American women.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) June 24, 2023
Since then, state after state has put government in charge of women’s decisions over their own bodies.
But here in Pennsylvania, so long as I’m Governor, the freedom to choose will not be infringed upon.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Ohio and West Virginia, plenty has changed when it comes to abortion access.
In Ohio, abortion is legal for 20 weeks after gestation, but a law on the books that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected cannot be enforced after a judge blocked that law.
A state constitutional challenge is currently taking place over that law.
In West Virginia, abortion restrictions are much more strict.
Abortion is only allowed in cases of incest, rape, or medical emergencies.
Rape and incest victims must first report the assault to police within 48 hours of getting the abortion and a notarized copy of the police report must also be presented to the physician before an abortion can be performed.