WASHINGTON — The state laws enacted since the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization have come in rapid succession: A doctor in South Dakota accused of inducing an abortion could be guilty of a Class 6 felony punishable by two years in prison.
A doctor in Texas, meanwhile, could face life in prison and fines of up to $100,000 for aiding in an abortion. A doctor who violates Florida’s 15-week abortion ban could receive up to five years in jail.
In all, 18 states have enacted laws that would punish doctors who perform abortions with jail time in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal right to an abortion — and doctors worry that helping to medically treat a miscarriage, too, will put them at risk of prosecution.
