AZ Gov. Ducey Signs Bill Banning Most Abortions After 15 Weeks

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday signed into law aggressive anti-abortion legislation that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, mirroring a Mississippi law now being considered by the nation's high court.

The law explicitly says it does not overrule a state law in place for more than 100 years that would ban abortion outright if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that enshrined the right to abortion in law.

The Arizona 15-week abortion ban law contains no exceptions for rape or incest, and would also bar abortions for families that learn later on in a pregnancy that a fetus is not viable, The Associated Press reported. It contains exemptions for medical emergencies in which the mother is at risk of dying or having permanent, irreversible injury.

Doctors who perform an abortion after 15 weeks could face felony charges and have their license suspended or revoked.

“In Arizona, we know there is immeasurable value in every life — including preborn life,” Ducey said in a letter. “I believe it is each state's responsibility to protect them.”

The governor's office noted that women cannot be prosecuted for getting an abortion after 15 weeks, and that nearly 93 percent of abortions were performed at less than 13 weeks’ gestation. In 2019, 42.3 percent of all abortions were early medical abortions, his office said, citing the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The measure was pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a prominent social conservative group that pushes religious freedom, anti-abortion and parental rights bills, and wields great power among Republican lawmakers.

Related coverage:

• Arizona Moves Toward Curbing Abortion Rights