BREAKING: Arizona Gov. Signs Abortion Ban into Law
For Immediate Release: March 30, 2022
Arizona is the first state to sign a 15-week abortion ban into law in 2022
PHOENIX, AZ — Today, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed S.B. 1164 into law, the nation’s second 15-week abortion ban to be passed and first to be enacted this year. The ban is modeled after the Mississippi law currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to unconstitutionally restricting abortion access a full two months before the viability line established by Roe v. Wade and reaffirmed in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the ban will also criminalize abortion providers by threatening fines, probation, and in some cases, imprisonment. It will go into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends.
With today’s bill signing, Arizona joins Florida in denying patients their constitutional right to abortion by limiting access after 15 weeks. Due to longstanding racist policies in the state and in our nation, abortion bans like S.B. 1164 disproportionately impact and compound preexisting barriers to accessing care facing the state’s Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, as well as people with low incomes and those living in rural areas. As a result, they are more likely to struggle to secure the funds, find child care, and take time off work to travel out of state if they need to seek care after 15 weeks.
“The continued attacks on reproductive rights and freedom have become commonplace and continue with Governor Ducey’s signing of S.B. 1164 into law today,” said Brittany Fonteno, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. “Throughout this process, we have seen the champions of our rights step up to the fight. We’ll remind voters this election season who was fighting for sexual and reproductive freedom for all Arizonans.”
“The people of Arizona don’t want this abortion ban. Medical professionals in Arizona are against this ban. Nobody asked for this. But Arizona politicians — including the governor today — are willfully ignoring both public opinion and science with the sole goal of stripping constituents of their constitutional rights,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “With this ban in effect, countless Arizonans and their families will suffer. Planned Parenthood will continue fighting for our patients and providers in Arizona to ensure that everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they have, can access abortion care when they need it.”
The abortion ban joins a myriad of other abortion restrictions in Arizona, including a state-mandated 24-hour waiting period and medically unnecessary pre-abortion ultrasound.
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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.