This computer-generated image shows the formation of a zygote after fertilization. Some Republican-led states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma, have passed laws declaring that life begins at fertilization, a contention that opens the door to a host of pregnancy-related litigation. Anatomical Travelogue/Science Source hide caption
Abortion rights activists chant slogans as the Indiana Senate debates during a special session in Indianapolis before voting to ban abortions. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett hide caption
Abortion rights protesters attend a June 24 rally following the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption
A demonstrator in Berlin in 2020 holds up a placard reading "Against Abortion?! Have a Vasectomy" during a protest against Poland's near-total ban on abortion. Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Workers at Google's parent company Alphabet want to better protect people's abortion-related location data and search history. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption
A package of Aviane birth control pills. The federal program known as Title X provides birth control, tests for sexually transmitted infections, and offers other reproductive health care for low-income patients. Crixell Matthews/VPM hide caption
Abortion-rights advocates are using social media to reach young people who have more questions than ever about how to get an abortion. Leah Willingham/AP hide caption
Some of the evidence against Jessica Burgess, 41, was handed over to police by Facebook. Facebook's parent company, Meta, released a statement saying it had received valid warrants from law enforcement in Nebraska and that "the warrants did not mention abortion at all." Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption
Abortion-rights protesters fill Indiana Statehouse corridors and cheer outside legislative chambers on Friday as lawmakers vote to concur on a near-total abortion ban, in Indianapolis. Arleigh Rodgers/AP hide caption
An operating room technician performs an ultrasound on a patient in Shreveport, La., on July 6, 2022. Ted Jackson/AP hide caption
Experts say there may be no perfect time to have the discussion, but doing it in the right way can help. Matt Marton/AP hide caption
Even though Democrats had bigger majorities in Congress under Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, large numbers of anti-abortion Democrats in both chambers meant abortion protections could not be codified. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
Volunteer clinic escorts shield a patient from anti-abortion activists outside the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, last month. Clinics in states like Illinois, which has less restrictive laws, have been reporting an influx of patients from neighboring states. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
In states that outlaw abortion, some patients and health care workers worry that in vitro fertilization could be in legal jeopardy too. Sebastian Kaulitzki/Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., leads a hearing on the future of abortion rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court on July 14. The House on Tuesday voted to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption