Arizona abortion supporters submit signatures for new amendment
A group called Arizona for Abortion Access officially filed paperwork with the state to put a broad abortion amendment on the ballot this November.
The group said on Wednesday that it had reached 823,685 signatures, well over the 380,000 required to add a ballot proposal in the state. Now, state officials must verify the signatures before adding the measure to the November ballot.
If passed by voters, the amendment would enshrine a “fundamental right” to abortion. The measure would prohibit any restrictions or interference with abortion before viability or after viability when determined by a health care professional to be necessary to protect the life or physical and mental health of the mother.
Currently, abortion is legal in Arizona until 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Wisconsin Supreme Court greenlights lawsuits against pro-life law
The Wisconsin Supreme Court greenlighted two lawsuits against the state’s law protecting life at conception.
The suits, filed by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, argue that abortion is guaranteed by the state constitution.
In a narrow 4-3 decision issued on Tuesday, the state’s high court agreed to hear the case. In a concurring opinion, state Justice Jill Karofsky wrote: “This court is doing what many other state courts have done, both before and after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., 597 U.S. 215 (2022) — considering a state constitutional challenge to an abortion-related statute. Deciding important state constitutional questions is not unusual — it’s the court’s job.”
Peter Pinedo is a DC Correspondent for CNA. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.