Press Release: Statement on AZ Supreme Court’s Decision to Enforce Near-Total Abortion Ban

I am devastated and heartbroken today to learn of the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to enforce the violent, draconian, and regressive pre-statehood ban on abortions from 1864, which essentially outlaws all abortions in the State of Arizona, except when the life of the person giving birth is at risk.

Words fail me. This is truly a dark day in Arizona’s history, and I mourn for the lost freedoms of all of the people who can get pregnant that call Arizona their home.

My belief, and the belief of the Green Party, is that abortion is healthcare, and healthcare is a basic human right, one so fundamental that it must be provided universally and without barriers to all people if we’re to call ourselves a compassionate, just, or civilized society.

Make no mistake, this ruling will not stop abortions from happening. It will merely stop safe abortions in regulated environments from happening. This criminalization of abortion will hurt people, it will hurt our economy, and it will send shockwaves of harm that transcend generations, cultures, and classes.

I encourage my campaign’s supporters, and any Arizona resident who reads this statement, to please donate to and sign the petition from Arizona for Abortion Access to get a voter initiative on your ballots this November that would enshrine the right to an abortion in our State Constitution.

I am committed to fighting for the right of all Arizonans to receive the medical care that they need without the economic, social, or legal barriers that this ban creates.

In solidarity,

Cody Hannah