Arizona governor ‘confident’ voters will have chance to enshrine abortion rights in November

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said Tuesday that voters will have the opportunity to enact abortion rights in November and overturn a state Supreme Court ruling that made virtually all abortions illegal in the state. He said he was confident.

Hobbs joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper hours after the state Supreme Court rejected arguments for a 15-week abortion ban and upheld a law from 1864, before Arizona became a state.

“I have every confidence that Arizonans will consider this issue, enshrine abortion in the state constitution in November, and vote to protect abortion if given the chance,” she said. .

Hobbs said the effort to grant abortion access in the state has already surpassed the number of signatures calling for ballot access in this year’s election and still has months to gain support. .

“This is a common sense measure that the majority of Arizonans support in terms of protecting access,” she said. “And certainly that will motivate voters in November.”

of Arizona Abortion Rights Initiative It could appear on state ballots as a constitutional amendment this fall. It establishes a fundamental right to abortion and states that the state cannot intervene until fetal viability, the point at which the fetus can survive outside the womb.

Tuesday’s 4-2 ruling makes abortion almost completely illegal in the state. This makes it a crime to perform or assist a pregnant person in obtaining an abortion, punishable by two to five years in prison. The law would effectively shut down abortion clinics in the state, but it’s still unclear when that will happen, Hobbs said.

She is calling on the Republican-led state Legislature to repeal the law immediately. She told Cooper she was concerned about people’s care between the time the ruling took effect and the election, but she would do everything in her power to help.

“Arizonas will not only have the opportunity to have their say on this ballot measure, but they will also have the opportunity to elect new legislators who will fight to protect our freedoms, not take them away.”

Since taking office last year, Hobbs has criticized the state’s Republican lawmakers for failing to include him in efforts to repeal the ban.

He issued an executive order that prohibits county attorneys from prosecuting women or doctors who perform abortions, and that order remains in place. Attorney General Chris Mays (D) said that while he is attorney general, “no woman or doctor will be prosecuted.”