Arizona certifies abortion access measure for the November ballot : NPR

Arizona abortion-rights supporters gather for a news conference prior to delivering more than 800,000 petition signatures to the state Capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot, July 3, 2024, in Phoenix.

Ross D. Franklin/AP

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Ross D. Franklin/AP

Arizona voters will get to decide in November whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution.

The Arizona secretary of state’s office said Monday that it had certified 577,971 signatures — far above the required number that the coalition supporting the ballot measure had to submit in order to put the question before voters.

The coalition, Arizona for Abortion Access, said it is the most signatures validated for a citizens initiative in state history.

“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,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.

Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 — and it is a key part of their efforts in this year’s elections.

The issue already is set to go before voters this year in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.

Arizona law currently bans abortions after 15 weeks. The ban, which was signed into law in 2022, includes exceptions in cases of medical emergencies but has restrictions on non-surgical abortion. It also requires an ultrasound before an abortion is done, as well as parental consent for minors.

The proposed amendment would allow abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would restrict the state from adopting or enforcing any law that would prohibit access to the procedure.

Organizers said they initially submitted 823,685 signatures, more than double the 383,923 required from registered voters.

Opponents of the measure say it goes too far and could lead to unlimited and unregulated abortions in Arizona.

Supporters, meanwhile, say a constitutional amendment ensures that abortion rights cannot be easily erased by a court decision or legislative vote.

In April, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 abortion ban that permitted abortions only to save the mother’s life and provided no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, but the Republican-controlled Legislature voted for a repeal of the Civil War-era ban, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs quickly signed it.

The 19th century law had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that eliminated constitutional protections for abortion.