These notes on sources and methodology relate to the article “Growing set of state abortion restrictions visualized”, first published Sept. 14, 2011.
Scarcity of abortion providers
The number of abortion providers in each state is taken from “Abortion Incidence and Access to Services In the United States, 2008,” by Rachel K. Jones and Kathryn Kooistra.
Based on these numbers, Remapping Debate chose to establish a threshold of 10 abortion providers per-state as indicating “scarcity.” To view the exact number of providers in a state, hover over the [color] section of the bar.
Physician and hospital requirements
Information on state laws requiring that abortions be performed by a licensed physician, that abortions must be performed in a hospital after a certain point of fetal development, and those that require either the attendance or approval of a second physician after a certain point of fetal development was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: An Overview of Abortion Laws.”
Information on states requiring that physician hold hospital privileges within a certain distance of any facility in which they perform abortions was taken from Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly State Update.
Later-term and “partial-birth” abortions
Information on state laws banning some abortions after a gestational threshold including fetal viability, laws that ban abortions after a gestational threshold other than viability, and laws that ban abortions after a period of less than 24 weeks or the third trimester was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: State Policies on Later-Term Abortions.”
Information on state laws banning “partial-birth” abortions was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: Bans on ‘Partial-Birth’ Abortion.”
Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers
Information on targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP laws), including facility licensing, ambulatory surgical center (ASC) requirements, and hospitalization requirements, was taken from the Center for Reproductive Rights’ “Target Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP): Avoiding the TRAP”.
Additional information on TRAP laws was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly State Update.
Waiting period and counseling mandatory
Information on state laws requiring waiting periods before an abortion may be performed, law which require in-person counseling and necessitate two trips to the clinic, laws requiring that women be provided with a written or verbal description of the procedure, laws requiring that women be provided with a written or verbal description of fetal development, and laws requiring that women be given information regarding fetal pain was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: Counseling and Waiting Periods for Abortion.”
Ultrasound requirements
Information on state laws requiring that women be provided information on an ultrasound, that a ultrasound must be offered, that if an ultrasound is performed the patient must be offered the opportunity to view the image, and laws requiring an ultrasound to be performed an the patient be offered the opportunity to view the image was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: Requirements for Ultrasound.”
Parental involvement
Information on state laws requiring either parental consent or parental notification for an abortion to be performed on a minor was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: Parental Involvement in Minors’ Abortions.”
Limitations on insurance coverage
Information on state laws that restrict coverage for abortions by private insurance plans, the health exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act, and insurance policies for public employees was taken from the Guttmacher Institute’s “State Policies in Brief: Restricting Insurance Coverage of Abortions.”