Planned Parenthood Arizona Resumes Medication Abortion Services at Flagstaff After Nearly Two Years in Face of Extremist Anti-Abortion Ruling

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FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA – Today, Planned Parenthood Arizona is resuming medication abortion services at its Flagstaff Health Center after nearly two years.

This will be the first time Planned Parenthood Arizona is providing abortion care in Northern Arizona since June 2022. For almost two years since the Dobbs decision forced Planned Parenthood Arizona to stop providing abortion statewide due to legal uncertainty, Northern Arizona has been an abortion desert and patients with the means to do so have had to travel hundreds of miles to access care.

“As a native North Arizonan, I’m thrilled Planned Parenthood Arizona is bringing abortion care back to the Flagstaff community after nearly two years,” said Angela Florez, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona. “We know that it is now more important than ever to provide care to as many patients as we can, while abortion is still legal in Arizona, and we are swiftly expanding our services to meet the increasing needs of our community. We will not be intimidated or silenced by anti-abortion extremists, because we know the overwhelming majority of Arizonans support the right to abortion. We will continue to use every avenue to fight for a future where all Arizonans can make decisions about our lives, our bodies, and our futures.”

This rollout of abortion services for the Flagstaff community comes nearly one week after the Arizona Supreme Court issued a devastating ruling in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes that allowed a Civil War-era, total ban on abortion to be enforced against abortion providers – stripping Arizonans of their bodily autonomy and basic freedoms, criminalizing doctors, and posing long-term harm to communities across Arizona. 

While the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling makes clear that the total ban on abortion will be enforced, abortion is still legal and accessible in Arizona for a limited period of time. Planned Parenthood Arizona is swiftly following our commitment to continue providing abortion until the last possible legal moment, and this expansion of services to the Flagstaff community is the next step. 

“For far too long there has been an abortion care desert in northern Arizona, and patients I have cared for at our more central health care locations have confided in me they drove several hours to their appointment to get the care they needed,” said Dr. Jill Gibson, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Arizona. “We have been steadfast and focused on the commitment we made to reopen abortion care in Northern Arizona as soon as possible, following the dreadful Dobbs decision that decimated abortion access in our state. And despite the Supreme Court’s heartbreaking decision to soon ban abortion in our state, Planned Parenthood Arizona remains staunchly committed to providing abortion care for as long as we possibly and lawfully can. At Planned Parenthood Arizona, we will never stop fighting for our patients to have access to safe, non-judgemental, essential health care, including abortion.”

Medication abortion appointments can now be booked at Planned Parenthood Arizona’s Flagstaff Health Center by calling 602-277-7526. 

Planned Parenthood Arizona is committed to providing non-judgemental, compassionate, essential health care, including abortion. With the expansion of health care services in the face of attacks by anti-abortion extremists, Planned Parenthood Arizona is continuing to fight for Arizona communities and provide abortion care within the bounds of the law for as long as possible.

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