Battle over abortion heats up in Arizona — and could be on the 2024 ballot

As opponents of abortion rights marched through Arizona’s capital Friday, organizers and activists on both sides of the issue have an eye on Election Day.

PHOENIX — As opponents of abortion rights marched through the streets of Arizona’s capital Friday, organizers and activists on both sides of the issue have an eye on Election Day. 

Abortion rights groups are seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would create a “fundamental right” to receive abortion care up until fetal viability, or about the 24th week of pregnancy, with exceptions after that point if a health care professional decides it’s needed to “protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.”

Placement of the measure could help boost Democratic turnout in the state amid both a battleground presidential campaign and a key Senate race, a potential boon for President Joe Biden, who has trailed former President Donald Trump in recent Arizona polling.

In the nearly two years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down national abortion protections, abortion-rights advocates have so far won every race in which the issue has appeared directly on the ballot. Seeking to further galvanize support of reproductive rights, such groups are working in as many as 13 states to place measures this fall to enshrine abortion rights in state constitutions.

But as that effort has expanded, so too has the energy and organization behind efforts to fight them. And the proposal faces meaningful resistance from conservatives in Arizona. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/battle-abortion-heats-arizona-2024-ballot-rcna141347

---