Planned Parenthood Arizona is offering new services and has seen an uptick in patients after a February ruling blocking many abortion restrictions in the state.
“There’s no more hoops — or very few hoops — to jump through right now,” said Planned Parenthood Arizona interim President and CEO April Donovan.
In February, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that several Arizona abortion laws were unconstitutional under a 2024 voter-approved constitutional amendment guaranteeing broad abortion rights in the state.
The laws voided by the ruling included a ban on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine, a requirement for patients to have an ultrasound, and a requirement that patients wait at least 24 hours to get an abortion after their first in-person appointment.
Donovan said appointments are now quicker and as a result, costs are down.
“A lot of the mandates had certain tests you had to do in the procedure, and with some of those tests removed, we were able to reduce our costs to patients, so our fees went down by $105,” Donovan said.
Donovan said ultrasounds are still available and not all patients opt for same-day abortions.
“Most people still come in wanting an ultrasound to understand where they are if they’re not sure how far along they are,” Donovan said. “I would say about 10% of patients still leave after the first ultrasound because they want to think about it or make family plans, which is great.”
Donovan said with lower costs and a more streamlined appointment process, patient volumes have increased by about 5% in the month since the ruling.
The February ruling also means Planned Parenthood Arizona will be able to offer telehealth abortion appointments for the first time. Those appointments will begin April 1. Donovan said telehealth will broaden access to abortion services, especially for patients in rural Arizona.
“40% of Arizonans live in a medical desert, and not having to drive three hours for care is really exciting for these patients,” Donovan said.
Donovan said when telehealth appointments begin, some patients will still find they are too far along in pregnancy for a medication abortion, and will have to travel for a surgical abortion. But she said those who are eligible will be able to receive pills by mail within a few days and will have follow-up appointments after completing their medication abortion.
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Arizona voters approved adding constitutional protections for abortion rights in 2024. But that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from taking up the issue in various forms since that time. -
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