Planned Parenthood Arizona Files Motion at Arizona Supreme Court to Preserve Abortion Access

PHOENIX — Today, shortly after the Arizona Senate voted to repeal the harmful and extreme Civil War-era total ban on abortion, Planned Parenthood Arizona filed a motion requesting that the Arizona Supreme Court avert a pause in care by staying the issuance of a final order (called a mandate) in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes until the Legislature’s repeal takes effect. 

“We have said all along that we will use every possible avenue to safeguard essential care for our patients and all Arizonans, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with today’s motion,” said Angela Florez, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona. “While anti-abortion extremists in the State Legislature will continue to do everything in their power to undermine Arizonans’ freedom and criminalize essential health care, Planned Parenthood Arizona is taking action to prevent a harmful total ban on abortion from taking effect in our state. The Court’s April 9 ruling was both tragic and wrong, but it rested on trying to discern legislative intent. The Legislature has now spoken and clearly does not want the 1864 ban to be enforced. We hope the Court stays true to its word and respects this long-overdue legislative action, by quickly granting our motion to end the uncertainty over the future of abortion in Arizona.”

If the Court denies PPAZ’s motion requesting a stay and issues its mandate, the total abortion ban will go into effect 45 days later – meaning abortion will become banned in Arizona – and remain the law of the land until the repeal bill takes effect. Unfortunately, the Legislature’s repeal of the cruel 1864 total ban will not take immediate effect because anti-abortion lawmakers refused to include an emergency clause in the repeal. Instead, the repeal is not expected to take effect until 90 days after the end of the legislative session — which could be well into the summer. 

The result is that without further action by the courts, abortion care could stop for several months, and Arizonans will live under a draconian total abortion ban despite efforts to stop its enforcement.

Planned Parenthood Arizona is currently offering abortion care through 15 weeks across the state and will do so until the last possible legal moment. Regardless of what happens to the state’s 1864 total abortion ban, Planned Parenthood Arizona is committed to providing a wide range of other sexual and reproductive health care services to all patients who come through our doors.

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