A measure that would establish the right to an abortion in Arizona is officially set to appear on the state’s ballot in November. 

What You Need To Know

  • A measure that would establish the right to an abortion in Arizona is officially set to appear on the state’s ballot in November

  • The measure seeks to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion until fetal viability, the point in which a doctor determines that the fetus has a high likelihood of survival outside the uterus, which health care providers usually determine to be at around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy

  • The Arizona secretary of state’s office on Monday confirmed that the initiative had received about 578,000 signatures supporting the initiative, more than enough for it to appear on the ballot

  • Voters in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota will also decide on abortion access at the state level in November

The Arizona secretary of state’s office on Monday confirmed that the initiative had received about 578,000 signatures supporting the initiative – nearly 200,000 more than the 383,923 required, according to the office’s website – more than enough for it to appear on the ballot.

The measure seeks to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion until fetal viability, the point in which a doctor determines that the fetus has a high likelihood of survival outside the uterus, which health care providers usually determine to be at around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. It would also bar the state from enacting or enforcing any additional abortion restrictions.

“This is a huge win for Arizona voters who will now get to vote YES on restoring and protecting the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all,” Arizona for Abortion Access campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.

It is one of many initiatives looking to protect abortion access that have made it on ballots in states across the country since the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which has led to restrictive laws or bans on the practice in dozens of states. Voters in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota will also decide on abortion access at the state level in November.

In Arizona, the state’s supreme court earlier this year reinstated a 1864 near-total abortion but Democrats and a few Republicans in the state legislature along with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs enacted a bill repealing the ban. 

Arizona currently bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. 

Democrats are looking to put the issue of reproductive rights – which has proven to be electrically fruitful for the party since Roe’s overturning – front and center in this year’s election, especially since the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris – who has been a leading voice on the issue for the Biden administration – to become to Democratic presidential nominee. 

Harris traveled to Arizona following the state supreme court’s decision to reinstate the 1864 ban to denounce the move.