Americans United for Life releases 2019 “Life List”

Every year, Americans United for Life (AUL) releases the “Life List,” which ranks each U.S. state on a spectrum from most to least pro-life based on a “comprehensive legal analysis of each state’s legal protections for human life from conception to natural death.” Numerous laws, from gestational limits to informed consent to facility regulations, factor into the analysis. And although a state’s abortion rate is not part of the equation, historically, a state’s position on the Life List positively correlates with its abortion rate.

Here are the rankings, with #1 Arizona being the best state for unborn children and #50 Washington the worst:

AUL writes:

This year, we are excited to announce that Arizona has gained our highly coveted #1 ranking this year, closely followed by Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Sadly, for the tenth year in a row, Washington remained the state where women and their children have the fewest legal protections, followed by California, Vermont, New Jersey, and Hawaii.

Nebraska, Alabama, and Virginia made notable gains as well, each moving up in the rankings by three places after fighting hard to pass significant protections during the 2018 legislative sessions.

More details about the legal landscape in each state, along with recommended pro-life priorities for 2019 legislative sessions, can be found in AUL’s 2019 “Defending Life” manual.