According to a recent study published by the JAMA Network, nearly 65,000 forced pregnancies were estimated across 14 states in the U.S. since the landmark decision overturning Roe. V. Wade, which led to subsequent pregnancy termination bans. Additionally, it’s reported that Texas had over 26,000 cases alone.
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On January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a right to terminate a pregnancy. However, on June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the right and making it illegal to terminate a pregnancy. The decision was made in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and it led to 14 states banning termination at any gestational duration.
14 states have outlawed pregnancy terminations. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Although, 5 of these states allow exceptions for forced pregnancies, there are strict gestational duration limits that apply. Also, survivors must report the incident to law enforcement, which will likely disqualify most survivors as only 21% report their incidents to police.
RELATED: Texas Six-Week Pregnancy Termination Ban Officially Takes Effect
Arizona is also included in the conversations as termination is legal in the state, but with a gestational limit of 6 to 18 weeks. Furthermore, in September 2023, a 15-week ban went into effect in the state.
Per the JAMA Network’s study, following the Roe v. Wade overturn and subsequent termination bans, there were 10 or fewer legal terminations reported each month across the 14 ban states. To find out how termination bans affected survivors of forced pregnancies, the study proceeded to estimate those cases by state, since there isn’t any “recent reliable state-level data completed on [forced vaginal penetration] available.”
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JAMA reported that they used data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), calling it “the most accurate available national data on [forced vaginal penetration incidents].” However, they did provide a disclaimer and said, “but such highly stigmatized experiences are difficult to measure accurately in surveys.”
Furthermore, in their findings, JAMA reported that across the 14 states implementing total termination bans after the Dobbs decision, there was an “estimated 519,981 [forced vaginal penetration incidents] associated with 64,565 pregnancies during the 4 to 18 months that bans were in effect.”
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JAMA added, “Of these, an estimated 5,586 forced pregnancies (9%) occurred in states with exceptions, and 58,979 (91%) in states with no exception, with 26, 313 (45%) in Texas alone.”
After the reported numbers in Texas went viral, Gov. Greg Abbott‘s previous vow that Texas would work to “eliminate” forced vaginal penetration incidents has renewed attention. In 2021, the Gov. Abbott promised to eliminate incidents after Texas enacted their pregnancy termination ban. However, the new 2024 data by JAMA has countered his promise.
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