Arizona to vote in November on extending abortion access to 24 weeks

Arizona citizens have gathered more than enough signatures to bring a proposal to legislate abortion in the state to the ballot. It is a measure that would write abortion access into the Arizona Constitution. The measure will be left in the hands of voters in the state.

According to the Arizona state government, the proposal has received 577,971 certified signatures, nearly 200,000 more than needed to appear on the November ballot. It is the largest number of signatures validated by a citizens' initiative in state history.

Abortion is banned in Arizona after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of danger to the mother's life. The amendment seeks to allow abortion up to fetal viability, i.e. up to the point at which the baby could survive outside the womb. This "fetal viability" commonly occurs around 24 weeks for 60-70% of cases.

For progressives, this is quite an achievement. "This is a huge victory for Arizona voters, who will now be able to vote YES to restoring and protecting the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all," said Cheryl Bruce, campaign director for the Arizona Abortion Access Initiative, in a statement reported by The Hill.

These organizations lobbying for abortion in Arizona intend that by writing it into the state constitution the courts can no longer block these laws, as has happened in the past.

In April, the Arizona Supreme Court struck down the 2022 law and reinstated the 1864 legislation that only allowed abortions to save the life of the mother and made no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. The Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal the Civil War-era ban, and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed it.

Democrats have made abortion one of their main talking points since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.