Chart of the Day: 2011 in Reproductive Rights

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On Thursday, NARAL Pro-Choice America released its annual report on the status of reproductive rights in the US. The report puts numbers to something you might already have guessed: in 2011, legislators around the country were quite busy passing bills limiting access to abortion services.

At the national level, the House voted on eight different bills dealing with reproductive rights. That’s up from one vote in 2010, three in 2009, and zero in 2008. But state-level lawmakers were even more active. In 2011, 26 states enacted 69 new limits on abortion rights. That’s the second-highest number since NARAL started counting in 1995, coming in just below 1999, when 70 such measures were passed around the country. Over 700 anti-abortion rights measures have been passed around the US since 1995.

Here’s the national picture:

Image courtesy of NARALImage courtesy of NARAL

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This is how change happens.

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This investigative reporting takes time too. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take our time because we don’t report to oligarchs or corporations. We report to you, and for you.

And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

So, we’re asking: Will you join the fight? Mother Jones has been here for 50 years, and we need your support to fuel the future of investigative journalism. Mark our 50th anniversary with a gift of any amount.

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