Get Involved in Your State
Your voice matters, and what you have to contribute is valuable.
Select a state on the map below to learn about state and local legislation, resources, and opportunities for involvement.
Don’t see any information for your state? That’s because we need your help!
Reach out, become a member of the Collective, and help us partner with grassroots organizations making impactful change in their local communities.
OOPs! We are still getting the map working. Here are links to the pages for Ohio and Maryland.
The colors represented on the map below correspond to the extent that each state has placed legislative restrictions on the use of state funds for abortion (key below). Hovering over each state will display the current Guttmacher classification based on the extent to which each state’s political environment shows hostility to, or support of, abortion rights. Click on a state to learn more about local resources and advocacy opportunities.
State Funding of Abortion Under Medicaid (Guttmacher Institute, 5/1/2021)
First implemented in 1977, the Hyde Amendment, which currently forbids the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest, has guided public funding for abortions under the joint federal-state Medicaid programs for low-income people. At a minimum, states must cover those abortions that meet the federal exceptions. Although most states meet the requirements, one state is in violation of federal Medicaid law, because it pays for abortions only in cases of life endangerment. Some states use their own funds to pay for all or most medically necessary abortions, although most do so as a result of a specific court order.
Each color represented on the map above corresponds to the extent that each state has placed legislative restrictions on the use of state funds for abortion.
Please refer to the following key:
State Abortion Policy Landscape Methodology (Guttmacher Institute, 12/30/2020)
Data on U.S. women aged 13–44 are from the American Community Survey. States were scored based on whether they had policies in effect in any of six categories of abortion restrictions and any of six categories of measures that protect or expand abortion rights and access. Policies were not counted as in effect if they were blocked by court order (temporarily or permanently), or if the effective date had not yet been reached. (Until 2018, Guttmacher Institute analyses of the state abortion policy landscape included only abortion restrictions and considered 10 categories of restrictions. The six current categories consolidated some issue areas and scores cannot be directly compared with previous analyses.) Each state was given a score of 1 for every protective measure in effect and a score of -1 for every abortion restriction in effect. A state with a score of either positive or negative six has either all of the abortion restrictions or all of the protective measures in effect. A state with a score of -5, for example, has either five restrictions and no protective measures or a combination of six restrictions and one protective measure.
A state is considered very hostile to abortion rights if it has all six abortion restrictions in effect. A state is considered hostile to abortion rights if it has a score of -4 or -5. A state is considered to be leaning hostile to abortion rights if it has a score of -2 or -3.
A state is considered very supportive if it has all six types of measures that expand or protect abortion rights and access in effect. It is considered supportive if it has a score of 4 or 5. A state is considered to be leaning supportive if it has a score of 2 or 3.
States scoring between 1 and -1 are considered middle-ground.
Six abortion restrictions:
Ban pre- or postviability abortions in violation of constitutional protections
Require in-person abortion counseling followed by a waiting period before the procedure (thereby requiring at least two trips to the facility)
Restrict Medicaid coverage for abortion
Prohibit the use of telemedicine to provide medication abortion
Limit access to abortion for those younger than 18 without parental involvement
Impose unnecessary and onerous abortion clinic regulations
Six protective policies:
Affirm a right to abortion in the state constitution
Establish a legal standard that protects access to abortion
Guarantee abortion coverage through Medicaid
Allow advanced practice clinicians to provide abortion by law or Attorney General Opinion
Mandate private health insurance plans cover abortion
Protect access to abortion clinics