Arizona leaders react to Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade

Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act provides that “[e]xcept in a medical emergency or in the case of a severe fetal abnormality, a person shall not intentionally or knowingly perform . . . or induce an abortion of an unborn human being if the probable gestational age of the unborn human being has been determined to be greater than fifteen (15) weeks.

Today’s egregious decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to annihilate abortion access throughout the country is devastating and will gravely impact pregnant people and their families in Arizona.

Arizona is one of the most hostile states in the country to abortion.

We have pre-Roe abortion bans that are currently enjoined but still on the books, as well as other restrictions and a vague personhood statute that purports to acknowledge that embryos and fetuses have rights from the point of conception.

There is a lack of legal clarity from the state on whether the Supreme Court’s decision has legal impact on Arizonians’ ability to exercise their right to abortion.

Make no mistake – this absence of legal clarity in Arizona is exactly what anti-abortion politicians and judges hoped for.

They have intentionally created legal chaos, leaving patients and providers fearful and confused about their rights and how to actualize them.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is gratified with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and correct the previous injustice of denying pre-born children their legal and human rights.

The Catholic Church has rightly embraced the scientific evidence that human life begins at conception and continues its growth and development throughout pregnancy.

As a physician I agree with this truth. All human life is sacred at any stage of its development and every mother and every child in the womb are deserving of respect and life.

The Church also has a long history of assisting and advocating for the voiceless and those in need. Through the years, the Church in the United States has responded with compassion to expectant mothers in crisis or with unplanned pregnancies. Over 150,000 low-income women deliver their babies at Catholic hospitals each year, and Catholic Charities across our nation serve both women and children long after their births, providing comprehensive services to them.

In our religious tradition, we will continue to both pray for and serve the vulnerable among us as we witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is a frightening time and decision for Americans across the country. For many, the unimaginable day has arrived.

The right that I and millions of others have had for my entire adult life to make personal decisions with full bodily autonomy have been taken away from my 17 year old daughter, and millions of others. The right to make personal healthcare decisions by people who are pregnant who may become pregnant are not negotiable. They will never be negotiable.

Not for my daughter. Not for anyone.

We must elect pro-choice candidates for Congress in 2022 who will protect abortion rights by guaranteeing this right by statute. I pledge to do that. And I call upon Arizona’s senior Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, to reform the filibuster so that such legislation can pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate.