PHOENIX (AP) — An informational pamphlet for Arizona voters who will decide this fall whether to guarantee a constitutional right to abortion can refer to a fetus as an “unborn human being,” the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday.
In November, Arizona voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to include abortion rights in the state constitution.
The proposed amendment would allow abortion until the fetus can survive outside the womb, usually about 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or protect her physical or mental health. It would prevent the state from passing or enforcing laws that would prohibit access to the procedure.
In their decision on Wednesday, the justices of the Arizona Supreme Court sided with Republican lawmakers and against supporters of the abortion rights ballot measure.
The ruling drew powerful criticism from abortion advocates who argued that the term “unborn human being” was neither impartial nor objective. They also expressed concern that Arizonans would be confronted with biased and politically charged language.
“We are deeply disappointed by this ruling, but we will not let it stop us from doing everything in our power to communicate to voters the truth about the Arizona Abortion Access Act and why it is so important to vote YES to restore and protect access to abortion care this fall,” the group Arizona for Abortion Access said in a statement.
The booklet gives voters information about candidates and ballot proposals to facilitate them make their choice, but it was unclear whether certain wording from the booklet would appear on the ballot.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said Monday that 577,971 signatures had been certified – far more than the required number the coalition supporting the ballot proposal had to submit to put the question before voters.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Democrats have made abortion rights a central message – and it is a key part of their efforts in this year’s election.
