Abortion Access Changes Across US Following Dobbs Decision

Why it matters locally: Following the Dobbs decision, Virginia's state legislature has continued to debate and propose various bills concerning abortion access, reflecting the divided national landscape on the issue within the Commonwealth.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that overturned *Roe v. Wade*, ending the constitutional right to abortion. This decision transferred the authority to regulate abortion to individual states. Immediately after the ruling, states began to implement new laws concerning abortion access. The Supreme Court's decision changed the legal framework for abortion in the United States. States now hold the power to prohibit or permit abortion within their borders. This has resulted in a diverse set of regulations across the country, with some states enacting near-total bans and others maintaining broad access.