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The World Ahead | United States in 2025

What will happen with abortion rights now in America?

The fight looks set to shift from political to legal arenas

Abortion rights advocates protest in Washington
On the streets, in the courtsPhotograph: Getty Images

By Sacha Nauta, Social affairs editor, The Economist

Abortion was one of the defining issues in the 2024 presidential election campaign. Kamala Harris used every opportunity to warn that a Trump victory would be disastrous for women and that her opponent would ban abortion nationally. Will this happen in 2025?

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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2025 under the headline “Back to the states”

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