As a conservative U.S. Supreme Court considers the question of abortion access, a global reproductive rights advocacy organization has outlined where rights to the services could be prohibited or restricted if the current case causes the court to limit or overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The Center for Reproductive Rights created a map and report after examining legal factors, including laws, constitutions and court decisions, in the U.S. to determine whether abortion access would be expanded, protected, not protected or prohibited across all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The results showed that abortion would remain legal in 21 states, but 24 states – mostly in the central and southern regions of the U.S. – and three territories have no legal protections for abortion and would become "extremely vulnerable" to the implementation of draconian laws that would ban the practice.

"If the Supreme Court gives states more leeway to restrict abortion or prohibit it all together, almost half the states would likely enact new laws as restrictive as possible or seek to enforce current, unconstitutional laws prohibiting abortion," the Center for Reproductive Rights' report said. "States would then be divided into abortion deserts, where it would be illegal to access care, and abortion havens, where care would continue to be available."

Moreover, the report determined abortion access in five states (Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia and Wyoming), the District of Columbia and two territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to be "not protected," meaning that abortions may still be accessible if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, but without legal protection.

"In some of these states, it is unclear whether the legislature would enact a ban if Roe is limited or reversed, but concern is warranted," the report said.

This map details abortion rights at the state level across the U.S. (Courtesy of Center for Reproductive Rights)

Meanwhile, a report released in October by the advocacy group National Institute for Reproductive Health highlighted cities across the U.S. that have taken action in retaliation to advance "reproductive freedom," such as abortion access. Coastal, progressive cities San Francisco, Chicago and New York topped the list.

But Roe v. Wade doesn't need to be overturned for states, particularly in the South and Midwest, to create "abortion deserts" for millions of people across the country, the report noted.