ARIZONA HEALTH NEWS

Arizona Democrats aim to protect reproductive rights by repealing 50 anti-abortion laws

Jan 23, 2025, 4:45 AM | Updated: 11:44 am

PHOENIX — Now that the state’s newest legislative session is underway, Arizona Democrats say protecting reproductive rights is one of their top priorities.

Sen. Analise Ortiz and Rep. Sarah Liguori joined abortion advocates to share their plans in a Wednesday news conference at the Arizona State Capitol.

“We’re gathered here today on the anniversary of what was Roe v. Wade because Democratic lawmakers and advocates are announcing that we have a plan to repeal over 50 Arizona laws that are still on our books that ban or restrict abortion care,” Ortiz said.

Democrats: Arizona abortion restrictions are obstacles to health care access

These Arizona abortion restrictions override the rule of the people, who voted in favor of a law to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution last year, Ortiz added.

“Voters made their will known by passing Proposition 139,” she said. “Now, we have laws on the books that directly conflict with that voters wanted.”

Mackenzie Darling, an abortion advocate, said the restrictions also put patients’ health at risk.

“Currently, Arizona residents cannot get medication abortion care using Telehealth or get prescription by the mail even though the safety of medication abortion is widely recognized,” Darling said.

Darling, who represented the Arizona Proactive Reproductive Justice Alliance, said this causes unique struggles for hardworking Arizonans — especially those in rural areas.

“This forces people to take time off of work and secure child care and transportation in order to obtain care in person. And our state imposes a waiting period, so people have to go to a clinic twice to get care,” she said.

Burdensome bans and restrictions like this put women at risk, especially if they’re in vulnerable communities, she added.

“None of these restrictions are about health and safety,” Darling said. “They’re carefully designed by anti-abortion extremists to push abortion care out of reach.”

How will repealing these laws protect reproductive rights in Arizona?

Repealing the many Arizona abortion restrictions will require careful effort, according to Liguori.

“There is a number of legislators here introducing different forms of repeals,” Liguori said.

She doesn’t foresee Democrats coming up with a one-size-fits-all solution.

“It’s not necessarily one omnibus bill. It’s broken off into different sections, so I think we’ll have four in total,” Liguori said. “I would say that you could see four to maybe 10 different ways that we’re going at it to repeal these restrictive abortion laws.”

Measures like this are important as Arizona is on a backward slide when it comes to reproductive rights, she added.

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Arizona Democrats aim to protect reproductive rights by repealing 50 anti-abortion laws