The US state of Arizona approved the constitutional right to abortion. Arizona voters have decisively approved Proposition 139, amending the state constitution to establish a fundamental right to abortion. Early results indicate that the proposition passed by a significant margin of approximately 2-1, allowing women to terminate pregnancies without state interference until the point of fetal viability, generally recognised as between 22 and 24 weeks.
This constitutional amendment not only protects access to abortion before viability but also permits the procedure after that point if a healthcare professional determines it is necessary to safeguard the life or health of the pregnant individual. The measure explicitly prohibits any state laws that would penalize individuals for assisting someone in accessing abortion services.
The approval of Proposition 139 comes in the wake of heightened national debate over abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. This ruling returned authority over abortion regulations to individual states, leading to various legislative changes across the country.
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In Arizona, prior to this amendment, a 15-week ban on abortions was in effect, with limited exceptions. The passage of Proposition 139 effectively nullifies this restriction and reinstates broader abortion rights that had been in place prior to the Supreme Court's ruling.