Arizona proposal to protect abortion rights in state constitution advances

A proposal to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution of Arizona, a key battleground state in the upcoming US elections, has inched closer to becoming an official ballot measure.

On Wednesday, Arizona for Abortion Access, the coalition behind the measure, announced that it had turned in more than 800,000 signatures – more than double the amount needed to get the measure on the ballot come November.

That’s more signatures than have ever been submitted for a citizen-led ballot measure in Arizona, according to Chris Love, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access.

“It represents one in five Arizona voters,” Love said. “It’s an amazing feat for us. I think it’s a demonstration of the strength of our campaign and the excitement of Arizona voters to really settle the issue of abortion rights on the ballot in November.”

Related: Iowa supreme court allows six-week abortion ban to take effect

Arizona currently bans most abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy, but the state came close to outlawing almost all abortions earlier this spring. In April, the Arizona supreme court ruled to uphold a law that paved the way for a 1864 near-total abortion ban – passed before Arizona even became a state – to take effect. That controversial decision kicked off a weeks-long battle in the Arizona state legislature, where Republicans hold a one-seat majority in both the state house and senate, as Democratic lawmakers tried to pass a repeal of the 1864 ban. They ultimately succeeded after a handful of Republican legislators broke ranks and voted for the repeal.

“Our message has always been the same: pregnant patients deserve the freedom to make their individual and personal healthcare decisions, and especially decisions about abortions, with their families and their healthcare providers,” Love said. “The back-and-forth that just happened with respect to the 1864 ban is a clear demonstration of why we need politicians out of the calculus.”

If voters pass the ballot measure, which is officially titled the Arizona Abortion Access Act, it would eliminate the state’s 15-week ban and instead protect the right to an abortion until fetal viability, a benchmark that typically occurs at about 24 weeks of pregnancy. It would also allow abortions to take place after fetal viability if a healthcare professional believes the procedure is necessary to protect a pregnant person’s life or physical or mental health.

Roughly a dozen states, including Arizona and fellow swing state Nevada, are expected to hold ballot measures over abortion rights in the November elections. Activists in Nebraska and Arkansas are also set to turn in signatures supporting abortion rights ballot measures this week.

Since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade two years ago, several states – including traditional Republican strongholds such as Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio – have successfully passed ballot measures to preserve or strengthen abortion rights. Democrats are now hoping that enthusiasm for abortion rights will boost voter turnout and translate to support for their own candidates, particularly as Joe Biden continues to trail Donald Trump in the polls and has faced calls to step down after a devastating debate performance last week.

Arizona county election officials now have until 22 August to officially verify the signatures. Part of the reason for turning in so many signatures, Love said, was to counter any efforts to legally challenge the signatures’ legitimacy.