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Abortion Foes Spent Last Decade Passing Hundreds of State Laws

More than 330 anti-abortion bills were passed by state lawmakers since 2009, compared to fewer than 60 supporting abortion rights

Posters outside of the Supreme Court building during a nationwide rally in support of abortion rights on May 14, 2022.

Posters outside of the Supreme Court building during a nationwide rally in support of abortion rights on May 14, 2022.

Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg

The leaked draft of a majority Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade caught most of the nation by surprise, but anti-abortion legislation at the state level has been growing steadily over the past decade.

Since 2009, nearly 400 abortion-related laws were passed and 85% of them were aimed at restricting, regulating or opposing access to the practice, according to a Bloomberg News analysis using data from LegiScan, a legislative tracking service. The bills included everything from sweeping abortion policy shortening the amount of time to get the procedure to more symbolic resolutions, like memorials to fetal remains.