Press Release California
Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Kris Mayes for Arizona Attorney General
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Kris Mayes for Arizona Attorney General
Nation’s leading reproductive freedom advocacy group endorses Kris Mayes for attorney general of Arizona
Washington, DC — Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America announced its endorsement of Kris Mayes in her 2022 bid for Arizona attorney general. If elected, Mayes will be the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve as Arizona’s attorney general.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju said:
“NARAL Pro-Choice America is proud to endorse Kris Mayes in her bid to become Arizona’s next attorney general. As the state’s chief legal officer, Arizona’s attorney general not only represents the state in legal battles that impact reproductive freedom, but issues guidance to state agencies on how or if to uphold laws regarding abortion access. With a pre-Roe ban on the books, it is vital to have an attorney general that will fight for our constitutional freedoms. Kris Mayes has proven she will take bold action to safeguard our fundamental freedoms.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America Southwest Regional Director Caroline Mello Roberson said:
“Arizona has an unenforced, unconstitutional ban on abortion still on the books that was enacted before we even became a state. With Roe at risk of being overturned by the Supreme Court, we need an attorney general like Kris Mayes, who will fight for the 9 in 10 Arizonans who know that each of us should have the freedom to decide how and when we start or grow a family, free from political interference. NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona and our 52,000 members will be pulling out all the stops to ensure Kris Mayes is our next attorney general.
Kris Mayes, candidate for Arizona Attorney General, said:
“Arizona’s legislature recently passed a ban on abortions with no exceptions for rape or incest. This will become the law in our state in the event Roe is overturned. Arizona’s constitution includes a privacy clause which I believe protects the right to abortion as well as the right to marry a same-sex partner. But we need an Attorney General who will fight for our rights. I am grateful to NARAL for supporting me in this fight.”
A state’s attorney general plays a critical role in the states they represent including serving as the top legal and law enforcement officer, representing the state in lawsuits, and issuing legal advice to state agencies. If Roe v. Wade falls, attorneys general will play a huge role in determining what abortion access looks like at the state level. Kris Mayes, a longtime advocate and educator, has made her stance to protect reproductive freedom abundantly clear. Mayes recently vowed not to prosecute those seeking an abortion and doctors who provide abortion care, regardless of state law. Mayes previously served as Arizona’s corporation Commissioner, where she helped create jobs for Arizonans and fought for increased use of clean energy.
Mayes’ endorsement comes as NARAL Pro-Choice America is ramping up its work to elect candidates up and down the ballot during a critical moment in the fight for reproductive freedom. NARAL recently announced a partnership with Planned Parenthood Action Fund and EMILY’s List to collectively spend a historic $150 million on the 2022 midterms to elect reproductive freedom champions up and down the ballot across the country.
In the coming weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case about Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. A recently leaked draft majority opinion in the case indicates that the Court is poised to overturn Roe and end the constitutional right to abortion as we know it. If the landmark abortion rights decision is undone, 28 states—including Arizona—are expected to take action to prohibit abortion outright. If Roe is overturned and states move swiftly to ban abortion, women of reproductive age in Arizona are predicted to see a 2,175% increase in driving distance when seeking abortion care.
Read more about NARAL’s endorsed candidates here.
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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.