Anti-abortion laws go into effect in several Republican-ruled states

By Daniella

Several states governed by the Republican Party will ban virtually all abortions starting this week, as laws triggered by the Supreme Court's repeal of this right at the federal level take effect.

Some of these regulations will increase the penalties for those accused of carrying out the procedure.

The laws went into effect this Thursday in Idaho, Tennessee and Texas, and will go into effect in North Dakota on Friday.

More than a dozen states in all have passed rules banning virtually any abortion, with many beginning to implement them just after the court decision in late June.

Ultrasound at a Louisiana hospital on July 6, 2022. Ted Jackson / AP

These laws will affect millions of people in the United States, although in some states abortion was already severely restricted before the Supreme Court ruling.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked part of an Idaho anti-abortion law that went into effect Thursday.

The ruling prevents the state from enforcing the law when it violates federal guidelines on emergency hospital abortions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced earlier this month that he would challenge the Idaho law in court, saying the move conflicted with a 1986 federal statute to ensure proper care for patients with medical emergencies.