Planned Parenthood Arizona Reacts to State Supreme Court Oral Argument in Major Abortion Case, Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes

ARIZONA – Today, the Arizona Supreme Court heard oral argument in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes, a case that will determine whether a Civil War era near-total abortion ban will take effect and eliminate abortion access statewide.

Since the US Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion access in Arizona has been under extreme threat. If the archaic, near-total abortion ban dating back to 1864 is allowed to take effect, there would be immediate and devastating real-life effects. A near-total ban would be out of step with the will of Arizonans and would cruelly force pregnant people to leave their communities to access abortion.

Dr. Jill Gibson, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Arizona, released the following statement:

“Abortion is essential health care and criminalizing abortion does not change that fact. Instead, abortion bans and restrictions force people to carry forced pregnancies, seek abortion outside of the health care system, or bear the financial burden of traveling hundreds or thousands of miles for care. Abortion bans not only negatively impact individual lives, they impact families and generations, and perpetuate other systems of oppression. 

“A near-total ban on abortion in our state would be catastrophic to the well-being of our communities and deeply out of touch with the will of the majority of Arizonans. Arizonans deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about their reproductive health. The Arizona Supreme Court has the opportunity to refuse this bleak future and reject this egregious threat to reproductive health care. Our community deserves better – we deserve a right to make our own decisions about our bodies and our health. And I will not stop fighting for my patients and our communities.”

After arguing on behalf of Planned Parenthood Arizona before the state supreme court today, Andy Gaona, Legal Counsel for Planned Parenthood Arizona, issued the following statement: 

“With today’s argument now behind us, we are one step closer to protecting abortion access in Arizona. We are hopeful that the Arizona supreme court will affirm the court of appeals’ well-reasoned decision that preserved access to abortion care. It’s now up to the court to faithfully apply its own precedent and ensure access to this critical health care, as was intended by the legislature. We should expect nothing less from our judiciary.”

Planned Parenthood Arizona’s doors remain open and we are committed to providing essential sexual and reproductive health care for our patients. We know the work is far from done and we will not stop fighting for our patients at the courthouse and beyond.

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