With over 577,000 verified signatures, Arizona will put abortion rights on the ballot

Arizona voters will have to decide in November whether to vote. add the right to abortion to the constitution of the state.

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said Monday it had certified 577,971 signatures, well above the required number the coalition supporting the referendum measure needed to submit to put the question to voters.

The Arizona Coalition for Abortion Access said it was the largest number of validated signatures for a citizen initiative in state history.

“This is a huge victory for Arizona voters who will now be able to vote YES to restore and protect the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.

Democrats have made abortion rights a central message since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 — and it’s a key part of their efforts in this year’s elections.

The question is already set to go to voters this year in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, new York and South Dakota.

Arizona law currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks. The ban, enacted in 2022, provides exceptions for medical emergencies but includes restrictions on nonsurgical abortions. It also requires an ultrasound before performing an abortion, as well as parental consent for minors.

The proposed amendment would allow abortion up to the point where the fetus can survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would prevent the state from passing or enforcing a law banning access to the procedure.

Organizers said they initially submitted 823,685 signatures, more than double the 383,923 required from registered voters.

Opponents of the measure say it goes too far and could lead to unlimited, unregulated abortions in Arizona.

Proponents of the measure say a constitutional amendment ensures that abortion rights cannot be easily taken away by court ruling or legislative vote.

In April, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 1864 abortion ban 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 Civil War-era prohibition and Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs I quickly signed it.

The 19th-century law had been stalled since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated constitutional protections for abortion.