Arizona abortion rights advocates gather at a news conference before delivering more than 800,000 petition signatures to the state Capitol to put abortion rights on the general election ballot in November, July 3, 2024, in Phoenix.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
hide caption
convert caption
Ross D. Franklin/AP
In November, Arizona voters will decide whether to add abortion rights to the state constitution.
The Arizona secretary of state’s office said Monday that it had certified 577,971 signatures — far more than the required number that the coalition backing the ballot measure must submit to get the issue before voters.
The Arizona Coalition for Abortion Rights said it was the citizen initiative with the highest number of confirmed signatures in state history.
“This is a huge victory for Arizona voters, who will now vote YES on restoring and protecting access to abortion, free from political interference, once and for all,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.
Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 — and it’s a key part of their effort in this year’s election.
The issue is expected to come before voters this year in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.
Arizona law currently bans abortions after 15 weeks. The ban, which will be signed into law in 2022, includes exceptions for medical emergencies but has restrictions on non-surgical abortions. The law also requires an ultrasound before an abortion, as well as parental consent for minors.
The proposed amendment would allow abortions up until the fetus is viable outside the womb, usually around 24 weeks, except in cases where it would save the mother’s life or protect her physical or mental health. It would restrict states from passing or enforcing any laws that would prohibit access to the procedure.
Organizers said they initially submitted 823,685 signatures, more than double the 383,923 signatures needed from registered voters.
Opponents of the measure say it goes too far and could lead to unlimited and unregulated abortion in Arizona.
Supporters, meanwhile, argue that the constitutional amendment would ensure that abortion rights cannot be easily overturned by court ruling or legislative vote.
In April, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 abortion ban that only allowed abortions to save the mother’s life and made no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, but the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal of Civil War prohibitionand Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs quickly signed it into law.
The 19th-century law has been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Foundation, which struck down constitutional protections for abortion.
