With the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the United States has become the fourth country in the world to roll back abortion rights since 1994. Following the Court's decision, almost all abortions will become illegal in 13 states as so-called trigger laws took effect.
Unlike laws implemented in other countries following abortion rights rollbacks, many trigger laws preserve exceptions, like if the mother's life is in danger. Others also include exceptions for rape and incest. Still, as both sides of the U.S. abortion debate try to make sense of what a post-Roe world looks like, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland offer a glimpse of how countries enforce laws prohibiting elective abortion.
