Top 5 States With the Most Strict Stance on Abortion

While the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision gives women the right to an abortion, some states — particularly in recent years — have passed laws significantly restricting that.

Here are five states with arguably the strictest stances on abortion:

1. Louisiana

NARAL Pro-Choice America concluded Louisiana has the nation's strictest laws in the country against abortion, according to CBS News. In addition, Americans United for Life (AUL) listed Louisiana as the country's most anti-abortion state for 2015, LifeNews.com reports. The AUL listing took into account the 50 states' overall anti-abortion advances since Roe v. Wade.

Vote Now: Do You Support Tougher Regulations on Abortion Clinics?

2. Mississippi

Mississippi placed second on AUL's list of the most anti-abortion states for 2015, according to LifeNews.com. Mississippi joined Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas and Indiana in performing the best in 2014 in terms of advancing anti-abortion legislation.

3. Kansas

AUL listed Kansas as the nation's third-most anti-abortion state for 2015. Kansas then passed a new statute banning a common second-term abortion procedure that was the first of its kind in the United States, according to CNN. 

Gov. Sam Brownback on April 7, 2015, signed the law banning what it described as a "dismemberment abortion," which amounts to the dilation and evacuation procedure commonly used during the second trimester of pregnancy, reports CNN.

4. North Dakota

In March 2013, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed "the nation's strictest anti-abortion measures" into law, according to NBC News.

Urgent: How Do You Feel About Stronger Regulations on Abortion Clinics?

The laws took steps that included banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, and restricting abortions based on gender selection and genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. AUL listed North Dakota as the eighth most anti-abortion state for 2015, according to LifeNews.com.

5. Arkansas

In March 2013, Arkansas adopted "the nation's most restrictive abortion ban" after the Republican dominated state House voted to override then-Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of it, according to USA Today.

The law banned most abortions after 12 weeks if a fetal heartbeat was detected but included exemptions in cases of rape or incest or if the mother's life is at risk and if disorders are involved that would cause the baby to die soon after birth, reported USA Today.

AUL listed Arkansas as the fifth most anti-abortion state for 2015, according LifeNews.com.

Vote Here: Should Abortion Clinics Be Subject to Tougher Regulations?

Related Stories:

• How Does US Abortion Rate Compare Globally?

• 8 Medical Facts About the Abortion Pill, RU-486