A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban.
Arizona lawmakers in 2022 passed a law to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. Then in 2024, Arizona voters passed a constitutional amendment expanding abortion access to the point of fetal viability – around 24 weeks – with some exceptions beyond that.
But the new amendment to the Arizona Constitution did not automatically overturn the 15-week ban. So a group of Arizona doctors and the ACLU filed a lawsuit in December to get the conflicting law blocked.
No anti-abortion groups stepped in to defend the law and the judge sided with the doctors, declaring the 15-week law unconstitutional.
Some Arizona abortion providers have already resumed performing abortions beyond 15 weeks, since Attorney General Kris Mayes submitted a stipulation to the court when the lawsuit was filed, saying the state would not enforce the 15-week law while the case was pending.
This is expected to be the first of several lawsuits resulting from the new amendment, since Arizona has dozens of other abortion restrictions still on the books.
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Parties made closing arguments Monday in a court case challenging Arizona's mandatory 24-hour wait to get an abortion, along with several other abortion regulations. -
A lawsuit is challenging a ban on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine, a ban on abortions when fetal abnormalities have been diagnosed and a mandatory 24-hour wait to get an abortion. -
New data from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows how shifting laws have continued to impact abortions in the state.
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As Congress debates extensions for subsidies for Obamacare health plans, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says abortion restrictions should not be part of the negotiation. -
A Republican state lawmaker is proposing a new refundable tax credit in a bill that he says would help financially support women who choose to give birth.
