News & Updates

March 05, 2025

Phoenix, AZ — Today, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge permanently blocked Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban. This judgement comes a week after Arizona’s GOP-controlled state legislature failed to advance SB 1553, a bill that would repeal nearly 50 restrictions that make abortion challenging if not impossible to access. The repeal bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, Rep. Anna Abeytia, D-Glendale, Maryvale, and Rep. Sarah Liguori, D-Phoenix, would have made abortion access a reality for people who shoulder the heaviest burdens these laws impose.

Statement from The Arizona Proactive Reproductive Justice Alliance:

“The Superior Court’s decision is an important step to protecting the legal rights of all Arizonans who need abortion. But, the legal right on paper means little for the most marginalized communities who cannot afford to navigate the dozens of restrictions still in place. For people with low-incomes, those who live in rural areas, young people, and so many others targeted by racist and discriminatory policies, abortion remains effectively banned.” 

“SB 1553 is the next step in honoring the will of the people. We will not back down until every medically unnecessary restriction is repealed. That’s what the majority of Arizonans want and it is the job of elected officials to act on behalf of their constituents.”

January 22, 2025

On the Roe Anniversary, Arizona State Lawmakers and Advocates Announce Efforts to Repeal State Abortion Bans and Restrictions

Phoenix, AZ — On Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers and advocates announced efforts to repeal over fifty Arizona laws that ban or restrict abortion care.   

In the 2024 elections, a majority of Arizona voters across the political spectrum sent a clear message that they support the right to abortion and reject attacks on bodily autonomy. “Arizonans don’t want politicians interfering in critical decisions about their health, their families, or their futures,” said Rep. Sarah Liguori, D-Phoenix.  

DeShawn Taylor, MD, MSc, FACOG, an abortion provider and founder of Desert Star Institute for Family Planning said, “Arizonans deserve quality reproductive health care, including abortion care, in our own communities. But anti-abortion politicians have enacted abortion bans and restrictions in Arizona to advance their self-interested agenda that favors tax breaks and corporate profits over thriving and healthy communities.” 

Arizona laws must reflect what the voters decided in November. Bans and restrictions make abortion care more difficult to access and to provide - in some cases, making it impossible for Arizonans to get an abortion at all. To address this crisis, lawmakers and advocates today announced plans to introduce a slate of bills aimed at repealing over fifty laws enacted by anti-abortion politicians. 

“These bills repeal Arizona laws currently on the books that ban abortion, threaten the health and safety of patients, and impose costly burdens on families and providers,” said Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix.

“It is time to clean up the mess anti-abortion politicians have made of our state. The state legislature should put the health and safety of Arizonans first.” said Rep. Anna Abeytia, D-Glendale, Maryvale. 

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In December 2024, the ACLU filed Reuss v. Arizona to challenge the state’s 15-week abortion ban

Attorney General Mayes signed a “Stipulation of Non-Enforcement,” agreeing the 15-week ban is unconstitutional and to not to enforce it until after the case is concluded

Another abortion ban on the books at potential fetal viability is now the controlling law setting the limit in the state.

Lawmakers and advocates introduced proactive legislation- a repeal bill, SB 1553.

This bill repeals or amends almost forty medically unnecessary laws that restrict or ban abortion in our state.

OVERVIEW/ INFORMATION: 

What SB 1553 Does Do: This bill repeals or amends almost forty medically unnecessary laws that restrict or ban abortion in Arizona.

SB 1553 Sponsorship: 

• Senator Ortiz- Prime Sponsor

• Representative Abeytia- Co-Sponsor

• Representative Liguori- Co-Sponsor
  

SB 1553 repeals dozens of abortion bans and restrictions in Arizona. These include: 

• Fetal Personhood Interpretation Policy

• Ban on Advertising for Abortion

• 15 week Abortion Ban

• 20 week Abortion Ban

• Abortion Ban at Potential Fetal Viability

• Reason Bans

• Abortion Reporting Requirements

• “Partial Birth” Abortion Ban

• Provider Restrictions/Scope of Practice Restrictions

• Unnecessary Medical Definitions

• Biased Counseling Requirements

• 24 hour Waiting Period / Ultrasound Requirements

• Telehealth Abortion Ban

• TRAP laws/Medically Unnecessary Abortion Clinic Regulations

• Fetal Tissue Disposal Regulations

• Right to Refuse

• Additional Medically Unnecessary Regulations

What SB 1553 Does Not Do (and why): The current version of the bill includes every abortion restriction and ban in the state except for the following two sets of laws. These statutes are significant barriers to accessing care in Arizona, but were not included for specific reasons. Advocates continue to develop and pursue repeals of these restrictions as well: 

• Restrictions on access for minors: This was not included in the repeal bill because the current statute includes the judicial bypass process. If the statute were simply repealed, minors would have no path to accessing abortion care without parental involvement due to Arizona’s Parental Bill of Rights. Advocates are developing language to provide statutory protections that would enable minors to access abortion care in Arizona without parental consent or notification, or other barriers based on their age. This part is lagging due to some of the complexity involved. Advocates agreed that it didn’t make sense to rush introduction of bill language that wasn’t ready. 

• Public Funding Restrictions: These repeals have been drafted, but have fiscal implications for state funding and are included in a separate bill.  Advocates did draft a bill with these repeals, but this has not yet been introduced.