The abortion issue in the U.S., on cue from President Bush and on the heels of his recent appointees to the Supreme Court, continues to approach a political and social showdown across the country.

Many analysts point to South Dakota’s declaration in February 2006 of a new law banning abortion as the beginning of the war. Ultimately, the legal battles in individual states are expected to lead to a Supreme Court case reconsidering and possibly overturning the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.

According to USA Today analysis of data from the Alan Guttmacher Institute and the U.S. Census Bureau, 22 states representing 49% of the U.S. population, or 145 million people, are likely to significantly restrict abortion access should the Supreme Court overturn their 1973 decision.

This group includes nearly every state in the south and a swath of big states across the industrial Rust Belt, from Pennsylvania to Ohio and Michigan.

Sixteen states representing 35% or 102 million people are likely to protect access, and 12 states representing 16% or 46 million, are “in the middle.”

The overall state-by-state picture is not unlike recent Presidential elections in terms of Republican vs. Democratic “victories.”

From all accounts, the “war” is expected to be long and dirty.

Source: USA Today