Six months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, the state of abortion rights around the country remains unsettled, thanks to a patchwork of lawsuits in state courts and emergency court orders.

Experts predict that the uncertainty will continue in the coming year, as cases wend their way through courts, and state legislatures consider new restrictions, potentially drawing new battle lines in the fight over abortion rights.

About half of all states are ultimately expected to adopt new abortion restrictions in the wake of the Supreme Court's June ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

Since Dobbs, more than 20 million women of childbearing age have lost access to abortion, according to an October report from the Guttmacher Institute.

The litigation has resulted in chaos for abortion providers and patients, according to people involved in the lawsuits and legal experts. In state after state, courts have issued emergency orders blocking the new bans while lawsuits unfold, only to be reversed weeks or even days later on appeal.

"On a day-to-day basis for people who are trying to provide abortions and people who are trying to get abortions it can be very complex," said Kimberly Mutcherson, a professor and co-dean at Rutgers Law School who focuses on reproductive rights issues.