Vermont

The principal pre-Roe statute prohibited performance of an abortion on a woman unless the procedure was “necessary to preserve her life.”¹  In Beacham v. Leahy,² a pre-Roe decision, the Vermont Supreme Court held that the abortion statute is unconstitutional because it arbitrarily and unreasonably prevents a woman from obtaining a safe and antiseptic abortion from a physician.  Although the pre-Roe statute has not been repealed,³ the decision in Beacham v. Leahy would prevent that statute from being enforced.  The legality of abortions would not be affected by a decision overruling Roe v. Wade.  Abortions could be performed for any reason at any stage of pregnancy.