How will New England's abortion laws be affected by Roe v. Wade decision?

Editor's Note: The Supreme Court ruled Friday, June 24, that Americans no longer have a constitutional right to abortion, a watershed decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and erased reproductive rights in place for nearly five decades. Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion for a 6-3 majority, with the court's liberal justices in dissent.

A leaked draft decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case stunned the nation Monday night.

The news came via an exclusive from Politico, which obtained an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito. If rendered as a final decision, it would backpedal decades of guaranteed federal constitutional protection of abortion rights, cemented by the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, abortion rights will no longer be protected federally, meaning states will individually be able to deem abortion illegal. Nearly half of U.S. states currently have laws in place that would take effect immediately upon the Supreme Court ruling. Meanwhile, 16 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws explicitly protecting abortion rights in case Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and policy organization.

Abortion laws by state: Searchable database of state-by-state abortion limits and protections

If Roe v. Wade protections became a thing of the past, what would happen in New England?

Five of the six New England states have already passed laws that protect a woman's right to abortion, and two states have also expanded abortion access. As the news broke about the leaked Supreme Court draft, New England's governors began to release statements, assuring constituents that abortion would remain accessible.

Here are the current abortion laws and protections in each New England state.

More: What happens if Roe v. Wade is overturned? What we know about Supreme Court's leak

More: What states are most at risk of losing abortion access?

What would happen to abortion rights in Connecticut if Roe is overturned?

The right to an abortion has been part of Connecticut state law since 1990.

Just last week, in preparation for the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade, Connecticut lawmakers passed a first-of-its-kind bill that would shield abortion providers and patients traveling to the state from lawsuits, as some states have threatened to prosecute residents who seek abortions across state lines.

More: Connecticut Senate passes bill to protect abortion providers, patients' medical records

Texas, for example, has enacted a law that authorizes lawsuits against clinics, doctors and others who perform or facilitate a banned abortion, even in another state.

Connecticut's latest bill would also expand the field of people who can perform abortions. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has said he intends to sign the bill into law.

What would happen to abortion rights in Massachusetts if Roe is overturned?

Massachusetts has a state law that would cement a woman's right to have an abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

The state's ROE Act, which became law in 2020, codifies abortion rights. It allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and after 24 weeks in cases with a fatal fetal anomaly and when deemed necessary by a doctor. Those seeking an abortion under the age of 16 require parental consent.

2020: Mass. House overrides Gov. Charlie Baker abortion bill veto

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker originally vetoed the ROE Act over concerns about sections involving minors seeking the procedure and abortions after 24 weeks. The Massachusetts House ultimately overrode Baker's veto.

Baker said Tuesday an overturn of Roe v. Wade would be a "massive setback for women in states without responsible laws protecting abortion access and reproductive health services." He continued to say that Massachusetts "has and will always protect every woman's right to choose what is best for them."

At the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Framingham, Congresswoman Katherine Clark urged voters Tuesday to make sure they support candidates in November who would never enact a federal ban on abortion, saying it’s uncertain whether Massachusetts’ strong protections “would be able to withstand that type of legislation.”

More: Worcester, Central Mass. weigh in on abortion debate, future of Roe v. Wade

“What the GOP is planning to do is to block states from having that say and have a federal ban that could potentially criminalize abortions, even miscarriages, birth control — we don’t know where they stop. And so our goal has to be to exercise that right to vote,” Clark said.

What would happen to abortion rights in Maine if Roe is overturned?

The right to an abortion is codified in the state of Maine, meaning like Massachusetts and Connecticut, an overturn of Roe V. Wade would not immediately threaten abortion rights there.

In 2019, Maine passed two laws expanding abortion access, including allowing non-doctor medical professionals to perform abortions and authorizing state funding for abortions for Medicaid recipients.

On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills released a statement saying, "I want to be very clear: unlike an apparent majority of the Supreme Court, I do not consider the rights of women to be dispensable. And I pledge that as long as I am governor, I will fight with everything I have to protect reproductive rights and to preserve access to reproductive health care in the face of every and any threat to it – whether from politicians in Augusta or Supreme Court justices in Washington.”

What would happen to abortion rights in New Hampshire if Roe is overturned?

New Hampshire is the only state in New England that does not have a law on the books explicitly protecting abortion rights. And while it does not ban abortions outright, its Republican-led Legislature has imposed more restrictions over the last year.

As of Jan. 1, it became illegal to terminate a pregnancy after 24 weeks in New Hampshire, and every person seeking an abortion now has to undergo an ultrasound.

From earlier this year: NH and Maine officials said abortion would remain legal in both states

More: Politics threaten changes to NH abortion ban to save lives of mothers

The new restrictions also lacked an exception for a fatal fetal anomaly. But last month, following new GOP support, the New Hampshire Senate passed a bill that would allow women to terminate a pregnancy for a fatal fetal anomaly after 24 weeks.

More: How NH fatal fetal anomaly exception gained GOP support

In a statement on Tuesday, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who previously signed into law the state budget increasing abortion restrictions, said, "As a pro-choice governor, I am committed to upholding Roe v. Wade, which is why I am proud of the bipartisan bill headed to my desk this year that expands access. So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal.”

What would happen to abortion rights in Rhode Island if Roe is overturned?

In 2019, then-Gov. Gina Raimondo signed into law Rhode Island's Reproductive Privacy Act, which protects a woman's right to get an abortion in the state.

Gov. Dan McKee affirmed his support Tuesday, saying Rhode Island will "always protect a woman's right to choose."

On Wednesday, the Rhode Island Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to the Reproductive Privacy Act brought by Catholics for Life and other groups, which claimed the act violated the state's constitution.

State lawmakers are currently heeding pressure to pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, a state-level bill that would make abortion covered by the state's Medicaid programs, as well as the health plan used by state employees.

More: RI reacts to news that Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade

What would happen to abortion rights in Vermont if Roe is overturned?

Abortion is protected in Vermont by state law, so it would remain legal even if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

The state's Democrat-led House and Senate approved a bill in 2019 to codify the right to an abortion in Vermont.

More from VT: After early draft on Roe v. Wade is leaked, Vermont politicians push for Proposition 5

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, said while no one can know for sure if the Supreme Court draft leak will ultimately become the final opinion, "I want Vermonters to be assured that this state has prepared for this possibility."

"Three years ago, we enacted a law that affirms the fundamental rights of all women and ensures reproductive health decisions remain between a woman and her health care provider – totally free from government interference," he said. "It is important for Vermonters to know this will remain true in Vermont regardless of what happens with the Supreme Court."

Reporting from USA TODAY was used in this story. MetroWest Daily News reporter Zane Razzaq contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: New England abortion laws: Impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned