Hundreds thronged the streets of Phoenix for the Women's March. Demonstrators amassed around the state capitol this Saturday, amplified by calls for the loosening of abortion laws mere days ahead of Roe v. Wade's 51st anniversary—a landmark decision reversed in 2022. According to ABC15, attendees like Randa Hightower said, "We have to take back our rights, our bodily autonomy." The movement, spearheaded by Arizona for Abortion Access, is working to cement the issue into November's ballot through a constitutional amendment proposal.
In pursuit of this goal, the coalition's signature campaign had amassed 250,000 names by January 12, aiming for the approximately 384,000 required by early July. Arizona's Supreme Court is concurrently scrutinizing a law dating back to 1864, which, if revived, could severely restrict access to abortions, leaving the state's laws comparable to those of Texas, according to Celina Martinez, an organizer with Healthcare Rising Arizona.
But opposition remains steadfast. Saturday's march also saw anti-abortion advocates, including Jeff Durbin, pastor and leader of End Abortion Now, who espouses the belief that Arizona should enact a near-total ban on the procedure. "What we would like to see take place in the state of Arizona is that we once again value human life, image bearers of God," Durbin told ABC15. In a reflection of this sentiment, the Center for Arizona Policy stated, "Abortion not only ends a life but it hurts women, emotionally and sometimes physically."
Moving to the legal arena, the Arizona Supreme Court piqued interest on Tuesday when lawyers were grilled about the applicability of the 1864 ban amidst modern statutes. As ABC15 reports, Andrew Gaona, attorney for Planned Parenthood Arizona, argued against interpreting recent legislative activity as null if Roe were overturned. Attorney General Kris Mayes urged the court to reject the appeal of the pre-statehood law's revival, which had been blocked since Roe v. Wade in 1973 and unblocked after its 2022 reversal. Meanwhile, abortion rights advocates are diligently working, where a constitutional amendment in Arizona could be birthed, assuring a right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks.
