Arizona voters will decide in November whether to add the right to abortion to the state constitution.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said Monday that 577,971 signatures had been certified – far more than the required number the coalition supporting the ballot proposal had to submit to put the question before voters.
The Arizona for Abortion Access coalition said this was the highest number of confirmed signatures for a citizen’s initiative in the state’s history.
“This is a major victory for Arizona voters who can now vote YES once and for all to restore and protect the right to access abortion care, free from political interference,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.
Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade overturned in 2022 – and it is an important part of their efforts in this year’s elections.
The topic is to be discussed this year in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, new York and South Dakota.
Arizona law currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. The ban, which took effect in 2022, allows exceptions in medical emergencies but places restrictions on non-surgical abortions. It also requires an ultrasound before an abortion and parental consent for minors.
The proposed amendment would allow abortion until the fetus can survive outside the womb, usually about 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or protect her physical or mental health. It would prevent the state from passing or enforcing laws that would prohibit access to the procedure.
Organizers said they initially submitted 823,685 signatures, more than twice the required 383,923 registered voters.
Opponents of the measure say it goes too far and could lead to unlimited and unregulated abortions in Arizona.
Meanwhile, supporters say a constitutional amendment would ensure that abortion rights cannot simply be overturned by a court decision or a vote in parliament.
In April, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a Abortion ban of 1864 which allowed abortions only to save the life of the mother and made no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, but the Republican-controlled legislature voted for repeal of the Civil War-era ban and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs quickly signed.
This 19th-century law had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which struck down constitutional protections for abortion.
