Louisiana senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, as well as Representative Steve Scalise, joined 37 other senators and 167 other representatives in signing an amicus brief on Thursday asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on Roe v. Wade.

The 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision granting women the right to seek an abortion has often served as a barrier to Republicans seeking to restrict reproductive rights across the country. Last May, Louisiana joined a handful of other states in passing a “fetal heartbeat” law – however that law only goes into effect if a judge lifts a block currently in place in Mississippi. Other states who have passed similar abortion restrictions include:

• Alabama – near-total ban (temporarily blocked by a judge in October 2019)
• Ohio – fetal heartbeat law (temporarily blocked by a judge in July 2019)
• Kentucky – fetal heartbeat law (temporarily blocked by a judge)
• Georgia – fetal heartbeat law (temporarily blocked by a judge)
• Utah – limited abortions to the middle of the second trimester (effective May 14, 2019)
• Arkansas – limited abortions to the middle of the second trimester (temporarily blocked by a federal judge)
• Missouri – banned abortions at eight weeks (temporarily blocked by a federal judge)
• Tennessee – passed a bill banning abortions should Roe v. Wade be overturned

Other states considering abortion restrictions include:

• Pennsylvania – Republicans introduced a heartbeat bill, but Gov. Tom Wolf has promised to veto it
• Florida – both a fetal heartbeat bill and a ban on abortions after 20 weeks are being considered
• South Carolina – has removed exceptions for incest and rape in order to advance a fetal heartbeat bill
• Maryland – failed to pass a considered fetal heartbeat bill
• Minnesota – considering a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks
• West Virginia – introduced a fetal heartbeat bill in 2019

The Supreme Court’s decision has been cited in allowing abortions up to 24 weeks during a pregnancy where the fetus was found to be not viable, or when a women’s health or life is at risk. However, with the appointment of conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by President Trump, many conservative Republicans have hoped to have the Court revisit and potentially overturn the decision.

Jenn Bentley is a freelance writer whose work has also been featured in publications such as Wander N.O. More, The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, Examiner.com, and others. Follow her on Twitter: @JennBentley_