Other southern states such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were also among the top 10. Among all states on the list, North Carolina jumped the most, according to AUL, after state lawmakers in May overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of pro-life legislation and banned most abortions after 12 weeks.
South Dakota, which ranks ninth on the group’s list, “is on track to see a year of zero abortions in the state,” AUL said. Idaho and Arizona also ranked in the top 10.
The group acknowledged that some states have seen “strong headwinds” of the pro-abortion movement, including Ohio, where voters in November overwhelmingly approved a ballot referendum that added a new right to “reproductive freedom,” including abortion and contraception, to the state constitution.
The group further pointed to efforts in Arizona to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, the outcome of which AUL acknowledged “could change the pro-life landscape” as well as the rankings of the Life List itself next year.
Among the lowest-ranking states were Illinois, California, and New York. Vermont ranked at the bottom of the list.
AUL in its release said the rankings on the Life List are “based on criteria that score the states’ protection of life from conception to natural death.”