Arizona Governor Approves Abortion Restrictions
On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) approved a measure establishing new mandates and restrictions on abortion in the state. One of the provisions requires that all women wait 24 hours after receiving state-mandated information to obtain abortion care. This type of biased counseling legislation is medically unnecessary and does not respect women. Abortion providers already provide women with the accurate medical information they need to make fully informed decisions.
The bill also toughens an existing parental consent law to now require minors to obtain written, notarized consent from a parent or guardian before obtaining abortion care, and allows for pharmacists and other health care professionals to refuse to distribute emergency contraception on moral or religious grounds.
Governor Brewer’s actions are in stark contrast to those of her predecessor, former Governor Janet Napolitano (D), who vetoed all legislation that would have restricted abortion during her six-year tenure as governor. Napolitano was appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in January.