US: Arizona sued by abortion rights advocates over restrictive laws

Reproductive rights advocates filed a lawsuit on Thursday aiming to overturn several abortion-related laws in the US state of Arizona, arguing that the restrictions violate the state’s newly amended constitution, which protects abortion access up to the point of fetal viability .

The lawsuit was brought by two Arizona abortion providers and the Arizona Medical Association . It follows the passage of a 2024 ballot measure in which voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights until fetal viability, typically around 24 to 26 weeks of pregnancy.

The legal challenge targets a range of existing state laws, including those that:

• Ban abortions based on genetic abnormalities,
  
  
• Require patients to receive in-person informed consent at least 24 hours before the procedure, with an opportunity to view an ultrasound,
  
  
• Prohibit the mailing of abortion medication and the use of telehealth services for abortion care.
  
  

“These stigmatizing and medically unnecessary abortion restrictions violate the right to reproductive freedom established by Arizona voters last November,” said Rebecca Chan, staff attorney for the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP). “Arizonans are perfectly capable of making decisions about their own reproductive futures.”

According to AP, a spokesperson for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office confirmed the complaint is under review and stated that current laws should align with the constitutional amendment approved by voters. Arizona was one of several states that passed measures in the 2024 general election to protect abortion rights in their constitutions.

This lawsuit comes on the heels of a decision earlier this year by an Arizona judge to block the state’s 15-week abortion ban, signaling a growing legal push to roll back restrictions enacted prior to the constitutional change.

Conservative groups have voiced concern over the lawsuit’s implications. Peter Gentala, president of the Center for Arizona Policy — a nonprofit that advocates for socially conservative policies — said the group has not yet decided whether to join the legal battle.

“Women’s health is important, and this lawsuit reflects an agenda to maximize abortion in Arizona — and that comes at a cost to women’s health,” Peter Gentala, president of Center for Arizona Policy was quoted as saying by the news agency AP.