Pro-abortion groups behind Arizona for Abortion Access have announced that they have gathered more than the necessary amount of petition signatures required to put a pro-abortion measure on the ballot for voters in November.
Arizona for Abortion Access is a coalition of pro-abortion groups including ACLU of Arizona and Planned Parenthood of Arizona. The coalition said it collected 506,892 signatures, well over the threshold of the required 383,923. Some of those signatures may be invalidated during the verification process, but ultimately it now appears that a pro-abortion constitutional amendment will be on the Arizona ballot in November. The group plans to continue to gather more signatures until its deadline in July.
The constitutional amendment that Arizona for Abortion Access will put on the ballot aims to create a “fundamental right” to kill preborn children in the womb up to so-called (undefined) fetal viability, with so-called exceptions after that to allow certain babies to be killed by abortion through all 40 weeks of pregnancy.
NBC News reports that one such exception would be if abortion is said to be needed to “protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.” Induced abortion — the direct and intentional killing of a preborn child — is not medically necessary. After 21 weeks specifically, it is possible for a child to survive outside the womb with medical intervention. Doctors can quickly deliver any child to end a pregnancy and save a woman’s life without intentionally killing the child.
In addition, opponents of the measure have pointed to the ‘mental health’ exception that could make it easy to kill a preborn child at any point in pregnancy based on how the mother is feeling, including that she is suffering from financial stress or familial stress. This broad exception existed under Roe v. Wade and its partner decision, Doe v. Bolton.
“Unfortunately, most voters are not told that under the unregulated, unlimited abortion amendment they will lose the required medical doctor, critical and common sense safety standards for girls and women seeking abortion, and moms and dads will be shut out of their minor daughter’s abortion decision, leaving her to go through the painful and scary process alone,” said Cindy Dahlgren, spokesperson for the It Goes Too Far campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.
“We know that almost 80% of voters support limits on abortion. This amendment has none,” she added.
Arizona for Abortion Access said it will continue to collect signatures with its goal of 800,000 in mind. NBC News reported that pro-life groups said they have attorneys ready to scrutinize the signatures.
Abortion is currently legal for any reason through 15 weeks in Arizona and after 15 weeks when the mother’s life is said to be in danger. The state Supreme Court is currently considering whether an 1864 law that made committing an abortion or helping a woman obtain an abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison is constitutional. That law was not in effect under Roe v. Wade.
If it passes, the proposed amendment would repeal the 15-week pro-life protections currently in place, along with the 1864 law.
