If Roe is reversed, 22 states poised to ban abortion

What would the U.S. look like without Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide?

That’s the question now that President Donald Trump has chosen conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Reversing the decision would not automatically make abortion illegal across the country. Instead, it would return the decision about abortion’s legality to the states, where a patchwork of laws already is in place that render abortion more or less available, largely depending on individual states’ political leanings.

“We think there are 22 states likely to ban abortion without Roe,” due to a combination of factors including existing laws and regulation on the books and the positions of the governor and state legislature, said Amy Myrick, staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents abortion-rights advocates in court.

“The threat level is very high now,” Myrick said.

Kavanaugh never opined on Roe v. Wade directly during his tenure on the