Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona Condemns Governor Doug Ducey for Signing Bill Banning Abortion at 15 Weeks
Arizona receives shameful distinction of signing into law the first 15-week ban in 2022
Phoenix — Today, anti-choice Republican Governor Doug Ducey signed into law SB 1164, an extreme and unconstitutional ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with no consideration for a pregnant person’s circumstances. The bill passed through the legislature on a party-line vote, highlighting how out of touch Arizona Republican politicians are with the 9 in 10 Arizonans who support the freedom to decide how to start or grow a family, free from political interference. SB 1164 is scheduled to go into effect in 91 days after the session is concluded.
Following the governor’s signing of the bill into law, NARAL Pro-Choice America Southwest Regional Director Caroline Mello Roberson released the following statement:
“Governor Doug Ducey now has the shameful distinction of signing the nation’s first 15-week ban on abortion into law this legislative session. These out-of-step politicians know there is a similar draconian ban currently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are banking on the Court upholding that law and overturning Roe v. Wade this summer. If that happens, it will open the floodgates to a barrage of dangerous legislation that gives politicians more power and control over our lives. It has never been more clear that we need elected officials who will serve our communities, not legislate away our rights for political gain.”
Recent Arizona polling from Change Research, in both English and Spanish, shows that a large majority (90%) of voters in Arizona agree, with 78% in strong agreement, that each of us should have the freedom to decide how and when we start or grow a family, free from political interference. This includes 89% of independent voters, 82% of Republicans, and 87% of Latinx voters. The new poll underscores how out of touch Arizona Republican politicians are with their constituents regarding reproductive freedom and abortion access.
The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hand down a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case regarding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. If Roe fell tomorrow, 28 states, including Arizona, are expected to take action to prohibit abortion outright. Of those, 13 states already have “trigger bans” in place, which would ban abortion automatically. The people hurt most by attacks on reproductive freedom are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; LGBTQ+ people; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.