The Arizona Legislature approved a bill on Thursday to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The legislation is similar to a Mississippi law currently under review by the United States Supreme Court.
The bill in question now goes to pro-life Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk. I covered this month how Florida lawmakers passed similar legislation and are now waiting on GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign it into law. As I covered, a study conducted by the Charlotte Lozier Institute late last year found that 12 to 15 week abortion bans are mainstream in most European countries.
ABC News noted that the Arizona bill does not contain exceptions for rape or incest. It also prohibits abortions for women who learn later in the pregnancy that the unborn child is not viable. Democratic state lawmakers said during a floor debate that the measure is unconstitutional and politically motivated. One lawmaker reportedly said it’s “getting in between a woman, her doctor and her God.”
State Sen. Nancy Barto, a Republican who sponsored the 15-week abortion ban, said that she hopes the Supreme Court upholds Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban and that states should be working towards protecting unborn lives.
“The state has an obligation to protect life, and that is what this bill is about,” she reportedly stated during a Senate debate.
The debate and subsequent vote on the 15-week abortion ban came the same day the Arizona House also passed a ban on biological male trangender student-athletes from playing on a women’s sports team. In addition, the House voted to ban gender reassignment surgery for individuals under age 18. Other states, such as Idaho, are pushing similar legislation.
The Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, was heard on Dec. 1. Dobbs is the first case in years that could overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. A decision is expected this summer.