Anika Begay
Arizona abortion rights advocates gather for a press conference before delivering more than 800,000 petition signatures to the state Capitol to get abortion rights on the ballot in the November general election, July 3, 2024, in Phoenix.
by Ross D. Franklin/AP
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by Ross D. Franklin/AP
In November, Arizona voters will decide whether to add abortion rights to the state constitution.
The Arizona secretary of state’s office said Monday that it had certified 577,971 signatures, far more than the number the coalition supporting the bill needed to put the issue to voters.
The Arizona for Abortion Access coalition said it was the largest number of validated signatures for a citizen initiative in the state’s history.
“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,” 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 that is a key part of their efforts in this year’s election.
The issue is already poised to go to 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 for medical emergencies but has restrictions on nonsurgical abortions. It also requires an ultrasound before performing an abortion, as well as parental consent for minors.
The proposed amendment would allow abortions until the fetus can survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or protect her physical or mental health. It would bar 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 argue that it goes too far and could lead to unlimited, unregulated abortions in Arizona.
Supporters, meanwhile, say a constitutional amendment ensures that abortion rights cannot be easily erased by a court ruling or legislative vote.
In April, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the 1864 abortion ban, which allowed abortion only to save the mother’s life and made no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, but the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal the Civil War-era ban, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs quickly signed it.
The 19th-century law had been blocked after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated constitutional protections for abortion.
