Abortion Rights Amendment Secures Spot on November Ballot

Arizona voters will have the opportunity in November to decide on a significant amendment to the state Constitution that seeks to secure the right to abortion. State election officials confirmed on Monday that the Arizona Abortion Access Act has successfully gathered approximately 578,000 valid signatures, far exceeding the required 384,000 to qualify for the ballot.

Cheryl Bruce, the campaign manager for the initiative, expressed her enthusiasm in a written statement. “This is a huge win for Arizona voters, who will now get to vote YES on restoring and protecting the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all,” Bruce stated.

Designated as Proposition 139, the Abortion Access Act proposes to guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion until around 24 weeks of pregnancy, which is typically when fetal viability is established. Exceptions would be permitted if deemed necessary by a healthcare provider to protect a patient’s life or health.

Furthermore, the proposed amendment would prevent the state from implementing any abortion-related policies that do not aim to protect the life or health of a patient, potentially dismantling comprehensive anti-abortion laws that have existed for decades.

At present, Arizona enforces a ban on abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Healthcare providers in violation of this law, except in life-threatening scenarios, may face felony charges and imprisonment of up to two years.

The Arizona for Abortion Access campaign celebrated their achievement on Monday. Campaign spokeswoman Chris Love highlighted the collective effort: “Thousands of local volunteers and organizations focused on reproductive rights, healthcare, faith communities, and veterans rights dedicated over a year to reach this milestone,” she noted. “More than 7,000 Arizonans worked through various weather conditions to collect signatures and ensure we have a say in the laws governing our lives.”

Despite the momentum, the initiative is not without challenges. Arizona Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, had filed a lawsuit contesting the 200-word summary of the act that voters reviewed before signing. They argued that the summary was misleading and called for the disqualification of the gathered signatures due to this. A specific point of contention was the terminology used; the lawsuit criticized the phrase “health care provider” instead of “treating health care provider,” which they argued misled signers about who would determine the necessity of an abortion past fetal viability.

However, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling against Right to Life’s claims. Following this, the organization filed an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, which is expected to make a ruling before the deadline for ballot printing on August 22.