Press Release California
Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona Calls on Governor Doug Ducey to Veto Bill Banning Abortion at 15 Weeks
For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 24, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona Calls on Governor Doug Ducey to Veto Bill Banning Abortion at 15 Weeks
SB 1164, which would ban abortion at 15 weeks, was passed in the House of Representatives
Phoenix — Today, anti-choice lawmakers in the Arizona state House passed SB 1164, an extreme and unconstitutional ban on abortion after 15 weeks, with no consideration for a pregnant person’s circumstances. The bill passed on a party line vote (31-26) and will head to Republican Governor Doug Ducey’s desk for final signature or veto.
Following today’s vote, NARAL Pro-Choice America Southwest Regional Director Caroline Mello Roberson released the following statement:
“SB 1164 is a cruel ban on abortion that Governor Ducey should veto. Anti-choice Arizona lawmakers continue to work overtime to pass bans similar to the 15-week ban currently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, which could end the constitutional right to abortion as we know it. This bill was not written with the needs of our communities in mind—and it flies in the face of the 9 in 10 Arizonans who support the freedom to decide how to start or grow a family, free from political interference. All attacks on reproductive freedom take away people’s fundamental freedom to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. NARAL and our more than 50,000 members in Arizona are calling on Governor Doug Ducey to veto this heinous legislation.”
Recent Arizona polling from Change Research, offered in both English and Spanish, shows that a large majority (90%) of voters in Arizona agree, with 78% in strong agreement, that each of us should have the freedom to decide how and when we start or grow a family, free from political interference. This includes 89% of independent voters, 82% of Republicans, and 87% of Latinx voters. The new poll underscores how out of touch Arizona Republican politicians are with their constituents regarding reproductive freedom and abortion access.
The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hand down a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case regarding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. If Roe fell tomorrow, 28 states, including Arizona, are expected to take action to prohibit abortion outright. Of those, 13 states already have “trigger bans” in place, which would ban abortion automatically. The people hurt most by attacks on reproductive freedom are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; LGBTQ+ people; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.