Abortion in Arizona

[3] As a territory, Arizona banned abortion in 1864, and although the law became unenforceable after the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision, it remained in effect.

The enforcement of the total ban was prevented by an injunction in the 1973 Arizona case Nelson v. Planned Parenthood, which based its decision solely on Roe.

[4] The June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization United States Supreme Court decision overturned Roe.

[12] In a 2022 poll of 938 registered Arizona voters by OH Predictive Insights, 87% said they wanted abortion to remain legal in all or some cases.

[14][15][16] It read:[15]“[E]very person who shall administer or cause to be administered or taken, any medicinal substances, or shall use or cause to be used any instruments whatever, with the intention to procure the miscarriage of any woman then being with child, and shall be thereof duly convicted, shall be punished by imprisonment in the Territorial prison for a term not less than two years nor more than five years: Provided, that no physician shall be affected by the last clause of this section, who in the discharge of his professional duties, deems it necessary to produce the miscarriage of any woman in order to save her life.” Physicians, however, were arrested for performing abortions.

[19] The US Supreme Court's decision in 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling meant the state could no longer regulate abortion in the first trimester.

[25] Governor Jan Brewer signed into law in April 2012 abortion restrictions that prohibited the procedure after 20 weeks.

[20][21] In April 2012, abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy became illegal in Arizona;[26] however, enforcement of the ban was permanently blocked under an injunction.

[28] In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that required the Arizona Health Department to apply for Title X funds as part of their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood.

[20] On January 1, 2019, a new law came into force in Arizona that required women to provide detailed medical information that was to be submitted to the state before they were allowed to have an abortion.

[32] On May 21, 2019, HB 2759 was introduced by Republican Representative Michelle Udall in Arizona's House with 20 other co-sponsors to provide $2.5 million annually for a period of three years to create a pilot program run by Texas anti-abortion organization Human Coalition with a purpose "to encourage healthy childbirth [and] support childbirth as an alternative to abortion.

[5] The passing of Senate Bill 1164 in March 2022, combined with the overturning of Roe, restricted abortions to before 15 weeks of pregnancy.

[5] As a result, abortion in Arizona temporarily became de jure illegal, except for when it is "necessary to save" the life of the pregnant individual.

[35][36] There were no exceptions for rape or incest, and the legally prescribed sentence for assisting in an illegal abortion is 2-5 years in prison.

"[11] Mayes criticized the Arizona Supreme Court for having "risked the health and lives of Arizonans", after "effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago ... when Arizona wasn't a state, the Civil War was raging, and women couldn't even vote".

[11] Mayes later noted that another legal case in the Arizona Superior Court had delayed allowing enforcement of the 1864 law to be able to begin on June 8, 2024.

[55] In 2001, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin did not provide any residence related data regarding abortions performed in the state to the Centers for Disease Control.

[68] In March 2019, Arizona Family Health Partnership was the primary association to receive the state's Title X funds.

[69] McBride was an administrator and member of the ethics committee at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, which is owned by Catholic Healthcare West (Dignity Health).

[70] On November 27, 2009, the committee was consulted on the case of a 27-year-old woman who was eleven weeks pregnant with her fifth child and suffering from pulmonary hypertension.

"[73] Women from the state participated in marches supporting abortion rights as part of a #StoptheBans movement in May 2019.

[22] On May 21, 2019, large number of women protested abortion laws passed in other states outside the Arizona Capitol building.

[76] The protests were later called "an insurrection aimed at overthrowing the state government" by Republican Senate President Karen Fann; the Arizona Department of Public Safety fired tear gas when protestors attempted to break into the building.

[79][80] On April 9, 2024, an abortion-rights protest was held in Phoenix following the Arizona Supreme Court's decision to allow a near-total abortion ban from 1864 to take effect.

[83] On June 8, 2024, Vote For Abortion kicked off its campaign with a bus tour across Phoenix, ending with a rally outside the Arizona State House.

[85] Finkbine had been taking sleeping pills that contained a drug called thalidomide, which was also very popular in several countries.

However, prior to the scheduled procedure, Finkbine told her story to The Arizona Republic to warn other women about the dangers of the drug.