Arizona voters approved it on Tuesday correction enshrining abortion rights in state constitutions, NBC News projects.
The ballot measure, Proposition 139, would create a “fundamental right” to obtain an abortion up to fetal viability, or about the 24th week of pregnancy, unless a health care provider “needs to preserve the life or physical health” or mental health of the pregnant person. health.”
Passage of the measure would effectively overturn Arizona’s existing law, which makes abortions legal up to the 15th week of pregnancy, except to save the life of the mother, except for rape or consanguinity.
Tuesday’s vote marks the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. It’s the latest chapter in a heated, long-running battleground debate over access to abortion since the Wade v. decision.
In April, the conservative Arizona Supreme Court decided to reinstate him Since 1864, abortion has been almost completely banned. After pushback statewide and nationally, including from Republicans, Arizona lawmakers passed the bill. to lift the ban Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in May signed the law.
The repeal effectively reinstated the state’s Republican governor’s 15-week ban in 2022 when the law was signed into law.
Arizona for Abortion Access was the ballot effort behind a coalition of reproductive rights organizations fragmented a state record for the number of valid signatures collected for a ballot initiative.
Constitutional amendments establishing abortion rights were on the general election ballot nine other states Tuesday: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.