Infographic Fun: Abortion Bans in the US

Image Source: Flickr

Many (myself included) are upset by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and right so. We could discuss bodily autonomy forever, but this post is about depicting the ambiguous situation we find ourselves in right now (July/August 2022). I wanted to show how convoluted abortion bans are state-by-state and how confusing the state’s definition of personhood is. Some laws will explicitly state the gestational week at which abortion is banned, but “fetal viability” is central to the legal debate on abortion rights. Just what is fetal viability? Some abortion bans that have recently been enacted ban abortions at conception. What is considered conception: fertilization or implantation?

I tried to showcase the arbitrary nature of ban exceptions and the ambiguity of terms used, and I also used pictures of the stages of conception to intentionally make people uncomfortable (or at least those who would find it uncomfortable). Imagine someone having a miscarriage or a legal out-of-state abortion and having to explain their sexual activity and their body’s processes in the event that they’re prosecuted.

Just one last note: I use “I” in the infographic in a general legal sense; please do not try to police my body on my own blog. But if you have any advice about making infographics, I’m happy to hear it :)