Washington, D.C. — Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and set abortion rights into a state of chaos and uncertainty, Arizona has emerged as one of the latest political battlegrounds in the debate over abortion rights. Following the Arizona Supreme Court’s revival of an 1864 zombie law, voters may consider a constitutional amendment to protect and expand abortion access until fetal viability for 1.4 million women. A new CAP report examines what is at stake for Arizona, how a 15-week abortion ban disproportionately affects certain demographics, and what the future of abortion access in Arizona could look like.
Three key takeaways from this report on the state of Arizona’s current 15-week ban include how such a ban:
- Endangers pregnant people of all ages: The inability to terminate a pregnancy due to a 15-week ban disproportionately affects young women who already face extraordinary barriers to sexual and reproductive health care. A 15-week ban forces many young women to abandon or delay their educational and professional aspirations, limiting their future opportunities. Meanwhile, women over age 30 may be more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications, including developmental or chromosomal fetal abnormalities, some of which can only be definitively detected at or after the 15-week mark, leaving women with complications no option to get the abortion they need.
- Worsens care and pregnancy outcomes: Restrictions on abortion delay access to care, lead high-risk patients to seek care later on, increase strain on emergency health care services, and ultimately harm the well-being of patients. Increased barriers to abortion not only delay access to care but can increase costs as well.
- Makes it difficult for doctors to practice: Health care professionals are now forced to make the difficult decision to leave the state or to change their career trajectory because the state in which they practice has an abortion restriction. Doctors should not have to risk their professional livelihoods and careers at the fear of criminalization that comes with possible fines, fees, jail time, and medical license revocation for helping patients receive the care they need.
“All abortion bans—no matter the limit—are harmful. Every person deserves to be able to access essential comprehensive reproductive health care when they need it, and that includes abortion care. Arizona’s initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution represents a step forward for abortion rights in the state,” said Kierra B. Jones, senior policy analyst for the Women’s Initiative and author of the report. “Forcing someone to carry an unwanted pregnancy—no matter the reason—or forcing them to go through burdensome barriers to access care is harmful and a violation of reproductive and bodily autonomy.”
Read the report: “What To Know About Abortion Access and Arizona’s Ballot Measure” by Kierra B. Jones
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].