During a press conference held in Phoenix on June 10, 2024, Dr. Candace Lew, who has been a practicing OB-GYN for 40 years and is also the chair of the Arizona for Abortion Access Campaign, spoke to the media. The event was captured by Arizona Mirror’s photographer, Gloria Rebecca Gomez.
As the signature gathering for the Arizona Abortion Access Act draws to a close this month, a group of medical professionals is rallying behind the initiative. With their support, the act is gaining momentum and public attention, aiming to ensure access to safe and legal abortions for women in Arizona.
The campaign supporting the ballot measure has until July 3 to submit its notarized signature sheets. To secure a place on the November ballot, the Arizona Abortion Access Act, which aims to establish abortion as a fundamental right in the state constitution, needs the backing of at least 383,923 voters. The campaign reported in April that it had amassed almost twice that number and pledged to keep collecting signatures to account for any that may be invalidated during the verification process.
More than 550 healthcare providers, spanning various medical professions, such as nurses, pediatricians, OB-GYNs, and family medicine doctors, have declared their support for the ballot measure by signing a letter released by the campaign on Monday.
According to the letter, it is important for individuals to have the freedom to make their own choices regarding abortion in consultation with their trusted doctor and loved ones. The Arizona Abortion Access Act ensures that decisions related to reproductive health are made by the patient, their family, and their healthcare provider, and not dictated by politicians. Regardless of one’s personal beliefs about abortion, this act upholds the fundamental right of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies.
The initiative ensures that women have the right to terminate a pregnancy up to the point of fetal viability, typically around 24 weeks of gestation. However, healthcare providers may permit abortions beyond that point if it is necessary to protect a patient’s physical or mental health or to preserve their life. Additionally, the initiative prohibits the state from implementing or enforcing any policy that restricts access to abortion unless its purpose is to safeguard the patient’s health or life. This could potentially overturn anti-abortion laws that have been passed over the years to impede and discourage women from seeking abortions.
According to Dr. Andrew Carroll, a family physician who has been serving the community for over two decades, supporting the initiative was an obvious choice for him. He believes that restricting access to abortion can lead to severe and life-threatening outcomes, which is why he joined the list of medical practitioners advocating for this cause.
In a news conference hosted by the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign on Monday morning, Carroll shared a heart-wrenching story about how he almost lost his wife due to severe hemorrhaging after a miscarriage. As a result of the heavy bleeding, she lost consciousness, but thankfully, doctors were able to stabilize her after performing a dilation and curettage procedure. While this procedure is commonly used in some abortions, it is also utilized to remove tissue from the uterus to reduce heavy bleeding in cases of miscarriage. However, reproductive rights advocates are concerned that abortion bans could put women who suffer from miscarriages at risk of harm. Due to the restrictive laws in some states, doctors are hesitant to provide care for miscarriage complications until they can confirm that the fetus has died, out of fear of being criminalized. This puts women in potentially life-threatening situations.
Carroll expressed that if there had been any delay in receiving the necessary care, it would have resulted in his beloved wife being taken away from him and their son being deprived of a caring mother.
According to him, the abortion proposal aims to shield doctors and Arizonans from ongoing legal battles at both state and federal levels, which can be quite unsettling. The initiative seeks to prevent any further legal whiplash and provide a much-needed sense of stability.
Carroll emphasized the urgency of protecting abortion care and reproductive freedom, especially in light of the numerous Supreme Court cases and abortion bans being implemented throughout the country. She stressed the responsibility of citizens to take action and prevent further dangerous interference. Carroll urged for a ‘Yes’ vote on the Arizona Abortion Access Act, which aims to prioritize the decision-making of patients, their loved ones, and their trusted healthcare providers.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion caused a lot of uncertainty in Arizona. Republican state officials and the courts were at odds over which ban to enforce – a 15-week gestational ban or a near-total prohibition from 1864, which carried prison time for doctors. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the Civil War-era law in April, leading to weeks of turmoil in the GOP-controlled legislature. However, Democrats managed to gather enough support to repeal the law. Meanwhile, at the federal level, the high court is expected to issue opinions in two cases that could make it harder to access abortion across the country. These cases involve the most widely used abortion pill and federal protections for emergency room abortions.
Robin Williams, an East Valley resident, is dedicated to advocating for abortion access in Arizona. Williams has a personal connection to the issue, having had an abortion as a high school student in a time when the protections of Roe v. Wade did not exist. She has witnessed the dangers that women face without access to safe and legal abortions, including friends and family members who resorted to back alley procedures such as ingesting bleach or using hangers or knitting needles. Williams is determined to continue collecting signatures and talking to Arizonans about the importance of reproductive rights and is frustrated with the state’s regressive stance on the issue.
She expressed her frustration, saying, “It’s infuriating that in 2024, we’re still fighting for women’s fundamental right to healthcare.”
Although supporters of the abortion rights initiative are certain that they have collected sufficient signatures to present it to voters in November, gaining the approval of Arizonans at the ballot box may pose a greater challenge. Reproductive rights supporters are optimistic that the Arizona initiative will replicate the triumph of similar campaigns that received resounding endorsements from voters in other states, even in Republican strongholds such as Kansas and Kentucky.
According to a recent poll, voters in Arizona are split on the idea of protecting abortion rights through a constitutional amendment. The poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights in May, found that 41% of voters support the amendment, while 41% oppose it. The remaining 18% of voters are undecided, making them a crucial group in determining the outcome of the vote. Interestingly, other polls have shown strong support for the proposed ballot measure. For instance, a CBS News and YouGov poll conducted in May reported that 65% of respondents, regardless of party affiliation, would vote in favor of the Arizona Abortion Access Act.
The campaign leading the charge for abortion rights on the ballot is not only seeking to win over voters, but also facing opposition from pro-life organizations and GOP lawmakers. The It Goes Too Far campaign, which is a coalition of pro-life groups including the Center for Arizona Policy, has been actively working to dissuade voters from supporting the abortion initiative by portraying it as excessively extreme. Additionally, in April, a Republican strategy to thwart the abortion initiative by introducing competing ballot measures was leaked shortly after Democrats first proposed repealing the 1864 abortion ban.
As of now, the GOP legislators have not implemented their plan. However, they still have until July 1 to submit a referral for the November ballot.
According to Dawn Penich, the spokeswoman of Arizona Abortion Access campaign, their team is fully prepared to initiate a voter education campaign aimed at dispelling the “lies” propagated by opponents and clarifying which ballot measure truly safeguards access to abortion. She further added that voters cannot be deceived by attempts to mislead them.
She expressed her confidence in Arizonans’ ability to recognize the benefits of the amendment, which is to restore the access they had before the dismantling of Roe v. Wade. “We have a lot of confidence that Arizonans can see the truth of what this amendment will do for them,” she said.
Critics of the It Goes Too Far campaign have raised concerns about the initiative’s reference to a “health care provider” in its provision that outlines who can decide whether an abortion is necessary. Some argue that this could allow any health care professional, including acupuncturists and massage therapists, to perform abortions. However, Dr. Candace Lew, an OB-GYN with 40 years of experience and the chair of the Arizona for Abortion Access Campaign, has dismissed these claims as misinformation. She clarified that the ballot measure does not intend to alter who can perform abortions, and the fact that it does not specify how it affects previous laws does not automatically render them null and void.
During Monday’s press conference, Lew clarified that the recent legislation regarding abortion does not alter the current status quo on who is authorized to carry out the procedure. He emphasized that the bill’s silence on this matter implies that there are no changes made to the existing regulations. Lew acknowledged that it is impossible to list down every aspect that remains unaffected by the law.
The ballot measure includes a provision that prohibits the implementation or creation of any law or policy that restricts or denies a person’s access to abortion. However, it also recognizes exceptions for laws and policies that serve a compelling state interest. According to the measure, a compelling state interest refers to policies or regulations that do not interfere with a person’s autonomous decision making and aim to improve or maintain patient health in accordance with accepted clinical standards and evidence-based medicine.
The It Goes Too Far Campaign has raised concerns about the exception included in the amendment, which allows for abortions to be performed after 24 weeks if a healthcare provider deems it necessary to preserve the patient’s life, physical, or mental health. Critics of the mental health exception argue that it provides an easy way out for women who are unwilling to go through a pregnancy, regardless of its viability. Penich pointed out that voters recognize that every pregnancy is unique, and each woman responds differently to unexpected pregnancies. Therefore, it is important to have options available.
She stated that receiving abortions later in pregnancy is a form of healthcare, and having the right to access it allows individuals to live their lives as they would at any other time.
A few Republican lawmakers are banking on the 15-week gestational ban to decrease backing for the Arizona Abortion Access Act. The reinstatement of a nearly complete ban from 1864 by the state supreme court made some Republicans anxious that voters, who live with minimal access to abortions, would support the abortion initiative. These Republicans joined the Democrats in repealing the law. However, Penich disagrees and believes that the assumption that voters will be satisfied with the 15-week law and choose not to vote on Election Day is baseless.
She stated that voters are intelligent and attentive, and they have a strong dislike for constant changes and flip-flopping regarding abortion access. She emphasized that they comprehend how a constitutional amendment would be the ultimate solution to put an end to this issue.