Americans United for Life (AUL) today released its fifth annual ranking of the most and least pro-life states based on laws in the states. For the third year in a row, Michigan topped the list, followed by Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Kansas.
"These states have made great strides in protecting women and their children from the negative consequences of abortion," said Denise M. Burke, AUL's Vice President & Legal Director. While AUL's criteria covers each state's treatment of all life issues, the final ranking depends largely on each state's enactment of prudent and well-supported laws that fence in the abortion license granted by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Among the laws that AUL looks for are informed consent, parental involvement for minors, abortion clinic regulations, and funding limitations on the use of public monies for abortion.
"Until all the pieces are in place to make the overruling of Roe a realistic possibility and until the truth has replaced misinformation about abortion," said Clarke D. Forsythe, AUL's President, "laws that put fences around the abortion license and highlight the negative impact of abortion on women are imperative. And those laws are being passed in the 50 states."
The ranking also seeks to answer the question: Thirty-five years after Roe, are we making progress to restore a culture of life in America?
"We are making progress, state by state and law by law. In states that have passed these types of laws, the abortion rates have declined by up to 20% over the past 10 years," responds Burke. "Further, these laws highlight the significant dangers-physical, psychological, and relational-posed by abortion."
"Once the scope of the negative impact of abortion on women is fully understood, support for most or all abortions will erode and a renewed culture of life will be within our grasp," continued Burke.
Added Forsythe, "Women need to be much better informed about the medical risks of abortion, and these common-sense laws seek to do that."
The least protective states according to AUL were Oregon, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Vermont. For more information about AUL's annual ranking, visit www.AUL.org.
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