蜜聊直播 voters may get a chance to keep abortion legal even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
An initiative drive launched Tuesday would put a 鈥渞ight to reproductive freedom鈥 in the 蜜聊直播 Constitution, covering all matters related to pregnancy.
The measure would bar state and local governments from interfering with that right, which would range from contraception to elective termination of a pre-viable fetus, defined as one with a reasonable chance of surviving outside the womb with or without artificial support.
It also would allow abortions at any stage of pregnancy 鈥渋f necessary to preserve the individual鈥檚 health or life.鈥欌
Backers have an uphill fight.
It takes at least 356,467 valid signatures on petitions to put a measure on the November ballot. Given the normal error rate, most groups give themselves at least a 25% margin, making the actual total closer to 450,000.
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And the filing deadline is July 7, just 51 days from when the initiative drive started. That translates to having to gather more than 8,800 signatures each day.
But Shasta McManus, treasurer of , said abortion rights advocates have no choice but to shoot for a November vote rather than wait until the 2024 election.
鈥淲omen in 蜜聊直播, they don鈥檛 have two years to wait,鈥欌 she told Capitol Media Services. 鈥淭his is something that needs to be done now.鈥
If abortion again becomes illegal in 蜜聊直播 鈥 the result if Roe v. Wade is no longer considered precedent 鈥 McManus said 鈥渨e鈥檙e going to have lost lives, we鈥檙e going to have lost livelihoods.鈥
The filing comes two weeks after Politico published a leaked draft opinion showing that a majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices are ready to void the historic 1973 ruling, which said women nationwide have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy prior to the point a fetus is viable. That is generally considered under current medical standards to be somewhere between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.
A court ruling is expected by late June.
If the court follows through with its draft position, it would return the right to regulate abortion to each state.
In 蜜聊直播, it would immediately reactivate the law that was on the books when Roe was decided in 1973 鈥 and remains there 鈥 but which the state has since been unable to enforce, said Cathi Herrod, president of the anti-abortion Center for 蜜聊直播 Policy.
That law, a version of which dates back to territorial days, says anyone who uses any method to cause a miscarriage must be sent to state prison for at least two but not more than five years. The sole exception is to save the life of the woman.
鈥淭he laws on the books right now in 蜜聊直播 are archaic and are barbaric,鈥欌 McManus said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do something about it now, women in 蜜聊直播 will be put at risk. And so will health providers.鈥欌
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey previously told Capitol Media Services he believes a law he signed earlier this year outlawing abortion after 15 weeks would supersede that statute, a contention disputed by Herrod.
鈥淥ur coalition, which comprises of activists, physicians, patients and community members all across the state, we couldn鈥檛 just sit by and do nothing and let this happen,鈥欌 McManus said.
There has not been a poll about abortion rights released in 蜜聊直播 since the leaked court decision.
But a national poll released Sunday by NBC News found that more than 60% of those surveyed said they believe abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances. That included 37% who want it legal at all times and another 23% who said it should be legal most of the time.
By contrast, the NBC poll found 32% surveyed want abortion illegal with exceptions. Only 5% said there should be no exceptions.
Herrod, however, said she believes this specific initiative proposal would fail at the ballot box in 蜜聊直播 鈥 if it gets that far.
She is focused on its language that says an abortion would be allowed at any point during the pregnancy 鈥渨hen necessary to preserve the individual鈥檚 health or life.鈥欌
鈥淭he exceptions basically would allow an abortion for any reason,鈥欌 Herrod told Capitol Media Services. 鈥淭he terms are vague and undefined.鈥欌
Herrod acknowledged that more than two generations of 蜜聊直播 women have come of age during a time they had the legal right to terminate a pregnancy. But she said she remains convinced 蜜聊直播ns, given the chance to weigh in on what the law should be here, would choose to reject this proposal.
鈥淭he nearly 50 years have taught us that life is a human right, that life does begin at conception. And everyone knows someone who was hurt by abortion,鈥欌 Herrod said.
McManus, however, said it is the experience of 蜜聊直播ns since 1973 that will convince them they do not want to return to the way things were before.
鈥淲e believe that this is something that gets people up and gets people moving,鈥欌 she said. 鈥淲omen of all generations, those that have worked on this in the past, those who never even realized that it could be taken away, are ready to hit the battlegrounds on this. And we believe that push and that attention is what鈥檚 going to carry us over the finish line.鈥欌
If the measure makes the November ballot it will not be the first time 蜜聊直播ns have been able to weigh in on the issue.
Abortion foes put a measure on the 1992 ballot that would have prohibited all abortion except to save the life or the mother or in cases where rape or incest had been reported. It was defeated by a margin of greater than 2-to-1.
Gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said Tuesday he would not answer whether Ducey, an abortion foe, supports the right of 蜜聊直播ns to decide if they want to keep abortion legal here.
鈥淲hy would you be asking a question like that of a governor whose views on abortion are well known?鈥欌 he asked.
Karamargin also said that, at this point, the question of the ballot measure is hypothetical.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to comment on hypotheticals,鈥欌 he said.
蜜聊直播: Abortion rights protests in Tucson
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Abortion rights protest in Tucson

Demonstrators protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the court鈥檚 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at 鈥淍azcapmedia鈥 or email azcapmedia@gmail.com.