Tucson (USA), (EFE).- Voters in the state of Arizona will vote at the polls next November on a bill that seeks to reform the state constitution by expanding the right to abortion.
“This is a huge victory for Arizona voters, who will now be able to vote to restore and protect women’s reproductive rights free from political interference,” Cheryl Bruce, director of the Arizona for Abortion Access coalition, said in a statement Tuesday.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office certified Monday that Arizona for Abortion Access collected 577,971 signatures from registered voters to bring the initiative to the ballot box, far more than the 383,923 signatures needed to do so.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes signed the citizen initiative on Monday with “the largest number of validated signatures on a petition in the history” of the state, the organization noted.
Proposition 139 now seeks to amend the state constitution to establish a “fundamental right” for women to have the right to request an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill includes exceptions, such as when a doctor decides that an abortion is necessary during a more advanced pregnancy to protect the woman’s physical or mental health.
Abortion today
Currently, Arizona has a state law that allows abortion only up to 15 weeks of gestation.
Abortion has become one of the key issues ahead of the state, federal and presidential elections in November.
Photograph provided by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, where he appears signing the citizen initiative ‘Arizona for Abortion Access’, in Arizona (United States). EFE/Adrián Fontes
Arizona drew national attention when it came close to implementing a law passed in 1864 earlier this year that made abortion virtually impossible in the state.
The legislation, passed before Arizona was a state and women could vote, was overridden by a bipartisan initiative passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Abortion rights have taken on greater relevance since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs Wade abortion rights in 2022.
The promoters of the citizen initiative say that never before in Arizona’s history have so many signatures been collected to put a petition on the ballot.
During her most recent visit to Arizona, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kama Harris expressed her support for abortion rights, seeking the independent and Latino vote.
A similar citizen initiative will also be on the ballot this year in the states of Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.
