Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Ruling on Abortion Access for Inmates

Tuesday the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an appellate court decision that said a Maricopa County policy requiring deputies to transport inmates to medical facilities for abortions only when they are medically necessary posed an unconstitutional burden.

The policy only permitted prison officials to transport women seeking abortion care if they had obtained a court order, even though prisoners are regularly transported without a court order for all other necessary medical care.

“Prison officials must attend to all serious medical needs, including abortion care, regardless of whether or not they agree with the decision to end a pregnancy,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. “Women prisoners should not be subjected to the ideological whims of prison officials.”