Republicans in the Arizona Senate have passed a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill, SB 1164, passed through the state Senate in a 16-13-1 vote Tuesday, with all Republican members voting to approve the bill that bans physicians from performing abortions after 15 weeks while providing some exceptions for medical emergencies.
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Under the bill, if a physician knowingly violates the ban, they could face felony charges and a civil penalty fine of up to $10,000.
Circumstances that qualify as a medical emergency are defined as a situation that “complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.” The bill does not specify exemptions in cases of rape or incest.
“We know from looking inside the womb, technology has given us a great gift to see what we all know instinctively and that is life begins at conception and as it grows you see more and more of the humanity of the unborn child,” State Sen. Nancy Barto said discussing the bill, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Following the vote, Planned Parenthood came out with swift remarks opposing the bill, arguing that it would “criminalize abortion providers” in a statement.
“Arizona politicians are banking on the Supreme Court upholding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban so they can quickly strip Arizonians of their rights and begin enforcement,” CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona Brittany Fonteno said.
The bill is modeled after a 2018 Mississippi law that is being heard by the Supreme Court, which also bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. If the court upholds the law, it could challenge decades of abortion rulings.
Arizona lawmakers have also introduced seven other bills targeting access to abortions, including restrictions on abortion via medication.
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The bill will now head to the Arizona House for its consideration.
