Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Arizona has become a significant battleground in the debate over abortion rights. Following the Arizona Supreme Court's revival of an 1864 law, voters may soon consider a constitutional amendment to protect and expand abortion access until fetal viability for 1.4 million women. A new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) examines the implications for Arizona, focusing on how a 15-week abortion ban affects certain demographics and what the future of abortion access in the state might look like.
The report highlights three key points regarding Arizona's current 15-week ban:
1. **Impact on Pregnant Individuals:** The inability to terminate a pregnancy due to a 15-week ban disproportionately affects young women who already face significant barriers to sexual and reproductive health care. It forces many young women to abandon or delay their educational and professional aspirations, limiting their future opportunities. Additionally, women over age 30 are more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications that can only be definitively detected at or after the 15-week mark, leaving them without necessary options.
2. **Care and Pregnancy Outcomes:** Restrictions on abortion delay access to care, leading high-risk patients to seek help later, increasing strain on emergency health services, and ultimately harming patient well-being. These barriers not only delay care but also increase costs.
3. **Challenges for Healthcare Professionals:** Health care professionals are forced to make difficult decisions about whether to leave the state or change their career trajectory due to abortion restrictions in Arizona. They risk criminalization, including fines, fees, jail time, and medical license revocation for providing essential care.
"All abortion bans—no matter the limit—are harmful," said Kierra B. Jones, senior policy analyst for CAP's Women’s Initiative and author of the report. "Every person deserves to be able to access essential comprehensive reproductive health care when they need it, including abortion care. Arizona’s initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution represents a step forward for abortion rights in the state."
Jones added: "Forcing someone to carry an unwanted pregnancy—no matter the reason—or forcing them through burdensome barriers is harmful and a violation of reproductive and bodily autonomy."
The full report titled “What To Know About Abortion Access and Arizona’s Ballot Measure” by Kierra B. Jones is available online.
For more information or expert commentary, contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].
