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These states are halting abortions or taking steps to ban them after Roe v. Wade was overturned

These states are halting abortions or taking steps to ban them after Roe v. Wade was overturned
HAD TO TURN AWAY PATIENTS ARE WAITING ROOM EACH WHAT PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WISCONSIN SAYS THEY HAD TO DO AT THEIR THREE STATEWIDE ABORTION FACILITIES FOLLOWING FRIDAY’S HISTORIC RULING THEY HAD DECIDED THEY NEEDED AN ABORTION. AND WHEN THE RULING CAME OUT CAME DOWN. WE HAD TO GO OUT INTO OUR WAITING ROOMS. AND SAY THAT YOU CANNOT ACCESS THE HEALTHCARE YOU NEED PRESIDENT AND CEO. TANYA ATKINSON SAYS THEY SCRAMBLED TO FIND WOMEN APPOINTMENTS ELSEWHERE WHERE ABORTION REMAINS LEGAL LIKE ILLINOIS AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE DECISION, SHE SAYS DEMAND HAD INCREASED OUR TEAM HAD MOVED HEAVEN AND EARTH TO TO OPEN UP AS MANY APPOINTMENTS AS THEY POSSIBLY COULD SO THERE WAS A SURGE. THERE WAS A SURGE. YES AFFILIATED MEDICAL SERVICES ON FARWELL ALSO HALTED PROCEDURES ANTI-ABORTION SUPPORTERS OFTEN CLASH WITH VOLUNTEER ESCORTS WHO HELP BRING WOMEN INSIDE THE CLINIC. WHAT HAS THE ATMOSPHERE BEEN LIKE OUT HERE THIS MORNING WITH THE TWO SIDES. THERE’S DEFINITELY SORT OF A SUPPRESSED GLOATING ON THE SIDE OF THE ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTOR. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THAT SPECIFIC GROUP HAS BEEN WORKING TOWARD FOR DECADES. OBVIOUSLY. IT’S A DAY THAT IS MONUMENTAL LOOK, FORWARD FOR THIS DAY. I DIDN’T KNOW IT WOULD HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME A SMALL ANTI-ABORTION GROUP STOOD OUTSIDE THE PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC AT WATER IN FLORIDA PLANNED PARENTHOOD SAYS THEIR SLOGAN HERE FOR YOU NO MATTER WHAT STILL STANDS. HOW ARE YOU HELPING THEM CONTINUE TO GET THE SERVICES THEY NEED WE CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE STATES WHERE YOU CAN ACCESS A SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTION. WE CAN ALSO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND THEN WE CAN BE THERE FOR THEM AGAIN IF THEY NEED AFTER CARE WHEN THEY RETURN BACK HOME. HILLARY JOINING US ONCE AGAIN NOW PLANNED PARENTHOOD OFFERS OTHER SERVICES AS WELL. RIGHT AND TOYA THEY WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THEIR DOORS REMAIN OPEN THEY DO OFFER OTHER SERVICES. THEY JUST CANNOT PERFORM A
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These states are halting abortions or taking steps to ban them after Roe v. Wade was overturned
Abortion bans that were put on the books in some states in the event Roe v. Wade was overturned started automatically taking effect Friday, while clinics elsewhere stopped performing abortions for fear of prosecution, sending women away in tears.“Some patients broke down and could not speak through their sobbing," said Katie Quinonez, executive director of West Virginia’s lone abortion clinic, whose staff spent the day calling dozens of patients to cancel their appointments. “Some patients were stunned and didn’t know what to say. Some patients did not understand what was happening."Doctors across Wisconsin also immediately stopped providing abortions on Friday, turning away women in waiting rooms and calling to cancel pending appointments after the ruling. Nearly 70 women had abortion procedures scheduled with Planned Parenthood Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, the group's medical director, Kathy King, said at a news conference. Four women had abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics Friday morning before the Supreme Court's order came down, King said.Women who were in Planned Parenthood clinics on Friday morning awaiting abortions were told that they couldn't be done in Wisconsin. Instead, they were given help with scheduling appointments in other states, said Planned Parenthood Wisconsin President Tanya Atkinson.Atkinson said offering travel assistance and helping women upon their return to Wisconsin will now be a focus of the group. America was convulsed with anger, joy, fear and confusion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. The canyon-like divide across the U.S. over the right to terminate a pregnancy was on full display, with abortion rights supporters calling it a dark day in history, while abortion foes welcomed the ruling as the answer to their prayers.Women who traveled across state lines to end a pregnancy found themselves immediately thwarted in some places as abortions were halted as a result of state laws that were triggered by the court decision or confusion over when those laws would take effect.In eliminating the constitutional right to abortion that has stood for a half-century, the high court left the politically charged issue up to the states, about half of which are now likely to ban the procedure.Abortions were immediately halted in eight states. Providers in two other states, Oklahoma and South Dakota, had already stopped performing the procedure in the past month. About 70 million people live in the 10 states where the procedure was not available — about a fifth of the U.S. population. The reaction across the country largely fell along predictable political lines.New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat in a state where abortions are available with few restrictions, called the ruling a “war on women” and vowed to stand as a “brick wall” to help preserve the right. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vowed to seek a ban on abortions after 15 weeks.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a conservative Republican widely considered a potential candidate for president in 2024, tweeted: “The Supreme Court has answered the prayers of millions upon millions of Americans.”The issue is certain to intensify the fall election season. Both sides intend to use the issue to energize supporters and get them to vote.“This country is lurching to the right, taking away rights. The voters are going to have to intervene,” said Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the U.S. House majority whip.Some states, including Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri, had “trigger law” bans on the books that went into effect as soon as Roe fell.One of Louisiana's three abortion clinics closed its doors Friday shortly after the ruling, according to sister station WDSU.The only abortion clinic in New Orleans closed around 11 a.m. Mississippi's law states that within 10 days of the state attorney general confirming Roe has been overturned, abortions are prohibited. That meant the state's existing abortion clinic in Jackson is poised to close soon."We thought this was a right. Clearly, it wasn't. It was a privilege," clinic owner Diane Derzis told sister station WAPT. "Most women don't think of that as something there, until they need it." In Alabama, the state’s three abortion clinics stopped performing the procedure for fear providers would now be prosecuted under a law dating to 1951.At the Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives in Huntsville, the staff had to tell women in the waiting room Friday morning that they could not perform any more abortions that day. Some had come from as far away as Texas for an appointment.“A lot of them just started breaking down crying. Can you imagine if you had driven 12 hours to receive this care in this state and you are not able to?” clinic owner Dalton Johnson said. Patients were given a list of out-of-state places still doing abortions.Abortion providers across Arizona likewise stopped doing procedures while they try to determine if a law dating to pre-statehood days — before 1912 — means doctors and nurses will face prison time now.In Texas, providers wondered which law they had to follow: a 1925 ban, a 2021 law that limits abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy, or a trigger law that bans the procedure outright, but wouldn’t take effect for a month or more. The confusion led them to suspend abortions while they seek legal advice.Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton warned they could face immediate prosecution for performing abortions under the Prohibition-era ban, which carries two to five years in prison.It was the risk of prosecution under a 19th-century abortion ban punishable by prison that led the Women's Health Center of West Virginia to stop performing the procedure.West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, said he will not hesitate to call the Legislature into special session if the ban needs to be clarified.The high court ruling brought strong reactions around the country.Carol E. Tracy, the executive director of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia, was “absolutely furious."“They want women to be barefoot and pregnant once again," she said. "But I have no doubt that women and like-minded men, and people in the LGBTQ community, who are also at great risk, ... we're going to fight back. I think it's going to be a long, hard fight.”Garrett Bess, who works with a lobbying arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, said his group will continue to press states to restrict abortion.“We’ll be working with grassroots Americans to ensure the protection of pregnant mothers and babies,” Bess said outside the Supreme Court. “This has been a long time coming, and it’s a welcome decision.”Opinion polls show that a majority of Americans favor preserving Roe.They include Alison Dreith, 41, an abortion activist in southern Illinois, where the governor has vowed to keep the procedure accessible. She said she fears for the safety of abortion workers, especially those who help people from states where the procedure is banned.Dreith works with the Midwest Action Coalition, which offers gas money, child care and other practical support to women seeking abortions.“I absolutely believe that they will try to come after me. I’m not built for prison, but I’m ready,” she said, “and I say, ‘Let’s do this.’ You want to pick that fight with me? I’m fighting back.”Hearst Television contributed to this report.

Abortion bans that were put on the books in some states in the event Roe v. Wade was overturned started automatically taking effect Friday, while clinics elsewhere stopped performing abortions for fear of prosecution, sending women away in tears.

“Some patients broke down and could not speak through their sobbing," said Katie Quinonez, executive director of West Virginia’s lone abortion clinic, whose staff spent the day calling dozens of patients to cancel their appointments. “Some patients were stunned and didn’t know what to say. Some patients did not understand what was happening."

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Doctors across Wisconsin also immediately stopped providing abortions on Friday, turning away women in waiting rooms and calling to cancel pending appointments after the ruling.

Nearly 70 women had abortion procedures scheduled with Planned Parenthood Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, the group's medical director, Kathy King, said at a news conference. Four women had abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics Friday morning before the Supreme Court's order came down, King said.

Women who were in Planned Parenthood clinics on Friday morning awaiting abortions were told that they couldn't be done in Wisconsin. Instead, they were given help with scheduling appointments in other states, said Planned Parenthood Wisconsin President Tanya Atkinson.

Atkinson said offering travel assistance and helping women upon their return to Wisconsin will now be a focus of the group.

America was convulsed with anger, joy, fear and confusion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. The canyon-like divide across the U.S. over the right to terminate a pregnancy was on full display, with abortion rights supporters calling it a dark day in history, while abortion foes welcomed the ruling as the answer to their prayers.

Women who traveled across state lines to end a pregnancy found themselves immediately thwarted in some places as abortions were halted as a result of state laws that were triggered by the court decision or confusion over when those laws would take effect.

In eliminating the constitutional right to abortion that has stood for a half-century, the high court left the politically charged issue up to the states, about half of which are now likely to ban the procedure.

Abortions were immediately halted in eight states. Providers in two other states, Oklahoma and South Dakota, had already stopped performing the procedure in the past month. About 70 million people live in the 10 states where the procedure was not available — about a fifth of the U.S. population.

The reaction across the country largely fell along predictable political lines.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat in a state where abortions are available with few restrictions, called the ruling a “war on women” and vowed to stand as a “brick wall” to help preserve the right. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vowed to seek a ban on abortions after 15 weeks.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a conservative Republican widely considered a potential candidate for president in 2024, tweeted: “The Supreme Court has answered the prayers of millions upon millions of Americans.”

The issue is certain to intensify the fall election season. Both sides intend to use the issue to energize supporters and get them to vote.

“This country is lurching to the right, taking away rights. The voters are going to have to intervene,” said Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the U.S. House majority whip.

Some states, including Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri, had “trigger law” bans on the books that went into effect as soon as Roe fell.

One of Louisiana's three abortion clinics closed its doors Friday shortly after the ruling, according to .

The only abortion clinic in New Orleans closed around 11 a.m.

Mississippi's law states that within 10 days of the state attorney general confirming Roe has been overturned, . That meant the state's existing abortion clinic in Jackson is poised to close soon.

"We thought this was a right. Clearly, it wasn't. It was a privilege," clinic owner Diane Derzis told . "Most women don't think of that as something there, until they need it."

In Alabama, the state’s three abortion clinics stopped performing the procedure for fear providers would now be prosecuted under a law dating to 1951.

At the Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives in Huntsville, the staff had to tell women in the waiting room Friday morning that they could not perform any more abortions that day. Some had come from as far away as Texas for an appointment.

“A lot of them just started breaking down crying. Can you imagine if you had driven 12 hours to receive this care in this state and you are not able to?” clinic owner Dalton Johnson said. Patients were given a list of out-of-state places still doing abortions.

Abortion providers across Arizona likewise stopped doing procedures while they try to determine if a law dating to pre-statehood days — before 1912 — means doctors and nurses will face prison time now.

In Texas, providers wondered which law they had to follow: a 1925 ban, a 2021 law that limits abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy, or a trigger law that bans the procedure outright, but wouldn’t take effect for a month or more. The confusion led them to suspend abortions while they seek legal advice.

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton warned they could face immediate prosecution for performing abortions under the Prohibition-era ban, which carries two to five years in prison.

It was the risk of prosecution under a 19th-century abortion ban punishable by prison that led the Women's Health Center of West Virginia to stop performing the procedure.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, said he will not hesitate to call the Legislature into special session if the ban needs to be clarified.

The high court ruling brought strong reactions around the country.

Carol E. Tracy, the executive director of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia, was “absolutely furious."

“They want women to be barefoot and pregnant once again," she said. "But I have no doubt that women and like-minded men, and people in the LGBTQ community, who are also at great risk, ... we're going to fight back. I think it's going to be a long, hard fight.”

Garrett Bess, who works with a lobbying arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, said his group will continue to press states to restrict abortion.

“We’ll be working with grassroots Americans to ensure the protection of pregnant mothers and babies,” Bess said outside the Supreme Court. “This has been a long time coming, and it’s a welcome decision.”

Opinion polls show that a majority of Americans favor preserving Roe.

They include Alison Dreith, 41, an abortion activist in southern Illinois, where the governor has vowed to keep the procedure accessible. She said she fears for the safety of abortion workers, especially those who help people from states where the procedure is banned.

Dreith works with the Midwest Action Coalition, which offers gas money, child care and other practical support to women seeking abortions.

“I absolutely believe that they will try to come after me. I’m not built for prison, but I’m ready,” she said, “and I say, ‘Let’s do this.’ You want to pick that fight with me? I’m fighting back.”

Hearst Television contributed to this report.