On Politics

Tue Mar 19 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers! An Arizona lawmaker shared her plans to terminate her pregnancy during an emotional speech on the state Senate floor on Monday.

Democratic State Sen. Eva Burch catalogued in detail to colleagues the tedious steps Arizona state law required her to go through to have the abortion, and her decades-long troubles to conceive, USA TODAY's Karissa Waddick reported.

❓What does Arizona's abortion law look like? A 2022 law signed by former Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey banned abortion after 15 weeks, with exceptions for life-threatening medical emergencies. The law also mandates that patients go to a counseling session and then wait 24 hours before scheduling a procedure.

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🥊 Abortion group fights back: Activists working to protect abortion rights are aiming to put a measure on the state's 2024 general election ballot that, if passed, would create a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion up to fetal viability, about 24 weeks.

📢 What is Burch saying? Burch, who is up for reelection, argued that Arizona's current laws "muddy the water" and "interfered" with her decision. She urged that voters should have the opportunity to weigh in on the issue on the ballot in November.