FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2022
TUCSON – PCDP CHAIR, BONNIE HEIDLER released the following statement on a Pima County superior court judge’s reinstatement of a pre-statehood (Territorial) abortion ban.
A Pima County judge ruled on Friday afternoon to lift a 1973 court injunction against a territorial era Arizona abortion ban. This ruling reinstates the pre-statehood law banning abortion in all cases (even rape and incest), with only one exception – the life of the mother.
This law, passed in an era when women wore corsets and were not allowed to vote, would mandate two to five years in prison for abortion providers. Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson said in her ruling that since “the legal basis,” which was Roe v. Wade, for the injunction has been overruled, “it must vacate the judgment in its entirety.”
The Pima County Democratic Party is outraged by today’s decision by the Pima County Superior Court to allow this territorial ban on abortion to take effect. As we have already seen across the nation, this draconian step backwards will result in the death of Arizona citizens. Our loved ones will die, and our families will be traumatized forever.
Abortion is healthcare. One in four women, and their doctors will choose abortion – for a million possible reasons. Not ONE of these reasons is the business of the government. This ruling is a giant and terrifying new reality for all Arizonans. When a person’s autonomy over their body is taken from them, they are not free. We are not free.
Though we know the Republicans intend to pursue a national ban on all abortion, currently the abortion issue is now up to the states to decide. We must take swift action and unite to protect our rights. It is up to us in Pima County to protect our neighbors, friends and families. Vote only for candidates who will defend our right to make decisions about our own bodies. Ballots will be mailed on October 12th, 2022 – and early voting will begin. Vote your whole ballot, from bottom to top, from back to front.