Arizonans voted last year to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. The new amendment passed with broad support from voters, but it didn’t end partisan conflict over abortion at the state Capitol. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sponsored legislation this session related to abortion.
Among bills sponsored by Republicans is HB 2547, which would bar the state from entering into a contract with or giving grant funding to any person or facility that performs abortions or refers patients to abortion services. Similarly, HB 2216 would establish a new state grant program to fund pregnancy centers that promote alternatives to abortion. Pregnancy centers that refer patients to abortion services would not qualify for the grants. Both bills have advanced out of committee.
Another bill, HB 2681, would add a number of restrictions for patients seeking medication abortions.
“We need to regulate this and make sure that a doctor is overseeing the process, otherwise we are putting women and minor girls in danger potentially,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Rachel Keshel.
More than half of abortions in Arizona in 2023 were medication abortions, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Democrats, like Rep. Oscar De Los Santos, argue that proposed regulations for abortion pills are medically unnecessary and directly in conflict with Prop. 139, the reproductive rights amendment voters recently approved.
“It tries to overturn the will of the people and it is going to make the women of this state less healthy,” De Los Santos said.
It’s unlikely Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs would sign bills to further regulate abortion. During her State of the State speech in January, Hobbs reiterated her support for Prop. 139 and called for lawmakers this session to establish a right to contraception and repeal abortion reporting requirements for healthcare facilities.
Democrat-sponsored bills, SB 1429 and SB 1430 would make the changes Hobbs called for. Democrats have also sponsored bills to repeal other abortion restrictions. HB 2464, for example, would lift a ban on sending abortion medication through the mail. And HB 2463 would repeal a prohibition on telemedicine appointments for patients seeking abortions. Those bills have not been given hearings in Republican-controlled committees.
