An Arizona Supreme Court decision that would end virtually all abortions in the state puts the issue front and center in a critical 2024 battleground.Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Phoenix on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks to reporters at the state Capitol in Phoenix on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. FILE - This file photo shows Celina Washburn at a protest on Sept.
Doctors and clinic leaders said there’ll be a scramble across the Southwest and West for abortion care due to Tuesday’s decision, which said officials may enforce an 1864 law criminalizing all abortions except when a woman’s life is at stake. Interstate travel for abortions nearly doubled between 2020 and 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Out-of-state patients accounted for 16% of abortions obtained nationally, compared to 9% in 2020, the group said.
“With a pregnancy, every moment counts,” said Sippel, who added that delays can have serious repercussions. Phillis noted procedures done later in a pregnancy could take longer and be slightly more complicated. The fund is talking with municipalities in Arizona to see if they can create their own abortion funds.