Phoenix City Council approves resolution condemning Arizona abortion law

PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution opposing state laws that have strict bans against abortions in Arizona.

The resolution called on the Arizona State Legislature to enact laws that would allow pregnant women in the state full access to reproductive health care, including abortion care.

It also asked for local police departments to lower their priority on reports stating that abortion laws have been violated.

The decision would be left to the police chief, who has discretion on whether and how to enforce particular laws in their jurisdiction based on various factors, including a lack of resources or making other tasks higher priorities.

“The people of Phoenix share a core value — the right to make their own personal decisions. Today, the Phoenix City Council and I honored that by passing a resolution declaring opposition to the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson criminalizing abortion,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a tweet.

“With this resolution, the investigation of medical personnel providing abortion services is deprioritized. I will not criminalize people for doing their jobs. Instead, I ask the Phoenix Police Department to focus on greater areas of need, such as gun violence.”

In a 6-2 vote, Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio was against the resolution, with DiCiccio opposing it citing that there were no limitations on late-term abortions.

Council Jim Waring was also against the resolution.

“Late-term abortion most people are opposed to and it doesn’t even limit that in this resolution,” DiCiccio said.

“There was a time where I would’ve been on the other side of this, until many years ago where I changed my position in life… So I am firmly of the belief that the baby is a baby and it is a person, deserves the same rights, the same protection that we would.”

The vote was announced days after a court granted Planned Parenthood’s motion for stay amid a lawsuit filed against the near-total ban in Arizona.

Abortions across the state will be able to continue for at least five weeks while the court case continues.

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