Dear team,

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, the right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution has been lost. Anti-abortion lawmakers in many states have rushed to implement abortion bans and the Center for Reproductive Rights and its partners are working to block those state bans from taking effect to preserve access to abortion care.

Anti-abortion lawmakers intentionally make abortion restrictions difficult to understand as a way to push care further out of reach. But familiarity with the legal terms and definitions used to discuss abortion legislation is key to understanding the state of abortion access—and fighting for better protections.

The Center created a glossary to explain abortion restrictions, protections, and related legal terms for precisely this reason. Our glossary breaks down everything from trigger bans to TRAP laws:

Trigger bans: Abortion bans passed since Roe was decided that are intended to ban abortion entirely if the Supreme Court limited or overturned Roe or if a federal Constitutional amendment prohibited abortion.

SB-8 Copycats: Laws that are modeled after Texas SB 8, the vigilante law that took effect in September 2021. These laws ban abortion at an early gestational age and are enforced through private rights of action, which authorizes members of the public to sue abortion providers and people who help others access abortion care.

State constitutional protection: A declaration from the state’s highest court affirming that the state constitution protects the right to abortion, separately and apart from the existence of any federal constitutional right.

It's more important than ever to understand exactly how abortion access is being affected by the law and we hope this glossary will be a helpful resource. Thank you for your continued support in helping us fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights around the globe.

Onwards,

Center for Reproductive Rights