(The Center Square) – A ballot initiative to get an abortion access amendment on the state constitution up for a vote is already underway, but a new campaign has launched Wednesday in hopes to prevent the initiative’s success.
The proposed amendment would allow abortion access up to “fetal viability,” which is usually 23 to 25 weeks into a pregnancy, The Center Square previously reported.
Arizona for Abortion Access will need at least 383,923 valid signatures to submit to the Secretary of State’s office in July in order to get the proposal on the 2024 general election ballot.
However, a campaign known as “It Goes Too Far” aims to encourage people not to sign the petition.
“Arizona abortion laws should protect girls and women, not put them at greater risk, but this amendment asks voters to expand abortion while cutting safety precautions. That makes no sense.” Leisa Brug, who is the campaign manager for “It Goes Too Far,” said in a statement.
“What happened to the prized doctor-patient relationship? This takes the required qualified medical doctor out of the doctor-patient relationship and leaves women in the hands of unqualified providers. That is not making the health and safety of women a priority,” she continued.
Brug added that she is concerned about the language of the proposed amendment.
“The language forbids any laws that could be interpreted as “interfering” in abortion. That means safety precautions designed to avoid complications or save a girl’s life in case of complications, and other reasonable measures would be forbidden and unenforceable,” she said. “The use of the term “treating healthcare professional” to describe who can provide or sign off on a late-term abortion is recklessly vague.”
The campaign’s website also raises concern about a mental health exception that they fear could lead to late-term abortions.
“The mental health exception has been abused and become a well-known work around to rubber stamp any request for a late term abortion,” the website states.
The nationwide abortion debate reached a new level after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, which brought the decision for abortion laws back entirely to the states.
As for Arizona, the state’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments in December in a case to determine which abortion law should be in effect in Arizona: a 15-week ban passed in 2022, or a 1864 pre-statehood law that bans abortion outright. Both only include an exception to getting an abortion if a mother’s life is in jeopardy.
“Arizonans deserve certainty when it comes to our reproductive health, including the right to have an abortion,” Mayes told reporters on Dec. 12 after oral arguments, The Center Square reported. “Our medical professionals deserve certainty too.”
Although the court case will have an impact on the state’s abortion laws, amendment advocates say that it would provide a necessary layer of protection to abortion access.
If the petition drive is successful, voters will ultimately have the final say come November.
