State Constitutional Protection

The Arizona Constitution protects reproductive rights to a greater extent than the federal Constitution.  The Arizona Supreme Court held that a statute limiting state medical assistance for abortion to cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest is unconstitutional under the "equal privileges and immunities" clause (Art. 2 § 13) of the Arizona State Constitution because it prohibited reimbursement for medically necessary abortion services.  Simat Corp. v. Arizona Health Care Cost Containment Sys., 56 P.3d 28 (Ariz. 2002).  A similar restriction has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court under the federal Constitution. Williams v. Zbaraz, 448 U.S. 358 (1980).