Arizona’s Passage of a 15-Week Abortion Ban

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2022
Media Contacts: press@prochoice.org; 202-918-7768

Yesterday, Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona signed into law a 15-week abortion ban modeled after Mississippi’s abortion ban, which is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.

Statement from Melissa Fowler, National Abortion Federation’s Chief Program Officer:

Arizona’s passage of a 15-week abortion ban is cruel and will have a devastating impact on people in the state. People need and deserve access to abortion care throughout pregnancy, regardless of where they live, and abortion providers must be able to provide this essential care without interference from politicians. 

Make no mistake, anti-abortion legislators in Arizona, like other states across the country, are ·  emboldened by the Supreme Court’s consideration of a similar law in Mississippi. These politicians are advancing abortion bans across the country, threatening access to this critical care, despite the fact that they plainly violate the Constitution. Arbitrary limits on what people can and cannot do with their bodies are driven by power-hungry politicians, not science, and will harm pregnant people and their communities. Any ban on abortion is unacceptable.

The National Abortion Federation and our members will continue to help Arizonans get care if they can do so under this terrible law, or help them find a provider outside the state and assist with their travel, if their life circumstances allow them to travel. If you are in Arizona and need help finding an abortion provider, you can call the NAF Hotline at 1-800-772-9100.