BREAKING: Arizona Senate Passes 15-Week Abortion Ban

Arizona is the second state to pass a 15-week ban out of a full legislative chamber in 2022; Bill now heads to the AZ House

PHOENIX, AZ — Today, the Arizona state Senate voted 16–13 to pass S 1164, a 15-week abortion ban modeled after the Mississippi law currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill would restrict abortion access a full two months before the viability line established by Planned Parenthood v. Casey and would criminalize abortion providers, threatening fines, probation, and even imprisonment for non-compliance.  

Advocates and medical organizations in the state have been vocal against the ban, holding a press conference and testifying during a Senate committee hearing earlier this month. Evidence shows that when people are denied abortions, their long-term well-being — and that of their families, including their children, if they have them — suffers. That burden falls disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities, who, because of systemic white supremacy in employment, housing, and public resources, are more likely to have low incomes and struggle to access health care.

“Arizona politicians are banking on the Supreme Court upholding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban so they can quickly strip Arizonians of their rights and begin enforcement,” said Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona, Inc. “It’s a cowardly path to a cruel end — denying Arizonians the right to make their own health care decisions.”

“As with all abortion bans, the anti-abortion politicians who pushed this 15-week abortion ban through the Senate ultimately want to ban abortion in Arizona outright,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “A ban is a ban, plain and simple. The goal of this abortion ban, like all others, is to stop people from accessing essential health care and to take away Arizonians’ power over their own bodies, their lives, and their futures. Planned Parenthood will continue to fight for our patients in Arizona to ensure they can access the health care they need — and deserve.”

The bill now moves to the House for consideration. In addition to the 15-week ban, this session lawmakers have introduced seven other bills attacking abortion access in Arizona, including restrictions in medication abortion and a bill to classify abortion as a class 3 felony. 

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