Lately, the preferred strategy for reproductive rights opponents in the United States seems to be: If you can’t beat Roe v. Wade, then simply regulate around it.
Whether it’s the newly imposed 72-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions in South Dakota, or Virginia’s Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider (TRAP) law that shuttered a clinic after 40 years in operation because the ventilation and temperature control systems required by the new regulations were simply too expensive, when it comes to undermining women’s autonomy and banning abortion in 2013, it’s all about petty bureaucracy.
The current battle playing out in Texas is only one example among dozens of states trying to bury abortion rights in red tape. A roundup of some of the most dangerous places to be a woman in the United States right now:
North Dakota
The spring of 2013 was a busy time for lawmakers in Bismarck. The GOP-controlled Legislature passed four draconian measures with strong majorities, giving North Dakota the dubious distinction of having the most restrictive abortion laws in a country rich with restrictive abortion laws.
The most shocking — though probably the least likely to survive a legal challenge — is the ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat is “detectable,” which can be identified by a transvaginal ultrasound as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.