By Dave Andrusko
First, last month, the Arizona Senate approved a bill protecting unborn babies after the 15th week. Then the Arizona House did so last week.
And then today Gov. Doug Ducey signed the bill into law!
âIn Arizona, we know there is immeasurable value in every life â including preborn life,â said Gov. Ducey in a letter. âI believe it is each state’s responsibility to protect them.â
The governor went on to say, âThis bill prohibits abortion after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies affecting the life and health of the mother. These times limitations are similar to legal time frame in the vast majority of the western world.â
He concluded, âThis very issue is pending before the United States Supreme Court now in Dobbs v. Jackson Womenâs Health Organization. It has been said that a society should be judged by the way it cares for the vulnerable among us. In Arizona, we will continue to protect life to the greatest extent possible.â
As the governor alluded, the15 week prohibition mirrors the Mississippi law which the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about on December 1.
Senate Bill 1164 âexplicitly says it does not overrule a state law in place for more than 100 years that would ban abortion outright if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that enshrined the right to abortion in law,â the Associated Pressâs Bob Christie wrote.
Democrats blasted the bill. âThe anti-choice, anti-freedom agenda behind these extreme bans is out of touch with the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans who support the right to abortion,â the party tweeted.
Sen. Nancy Barto sponsored the bill. She said âshe hopes the high court upholds Mississippi’s law banning abortion after 15 weeks,â Christie wrote.
“The state has an obligation to protect life, and that is what this bill is about,” Barto said during Senate debate last month.
Republicans âhope to put the 15-week ban in place so it takes effect quickly if the Supreme Court further limits abortion rights but stops short of fully overturning Roe,â the Associated Press wrote.