Arizona anti-abortion activists aren’t letting up after Supreme Court victory
Despite the state Supreme Court ruling this week that an 1864 abortion law was enforceable, anti-abortion groups say they will continue to protest stood outside of abortion clinics.
PHOENIX — It was business as usual for anti-abortion activists on Thursday. Despite the state Supreme Court ruling this week that an 1864 abortion law was enforceable, groups stood outside of abortion clinics with signs and megaphones, trying to dissuade people from seeking the procedure.
Matt Engelthaler, 49, held a “Choose Life” sign outside the Camelback Family Planning center. While it seems Tuesday was a victory for anti-abortion activists, he said, clinics can continue serving patients for at least two weeks because the court put its ruling on hold.
“That’s why we’re here, because even though we won with the Supreme Court, they’re going to probably try to stay open for at least the next two weeks,” he said of the clinic. “For us, any life lost to abortion is not acceptable.”
The 1864 Arizona law outlawed abortion from the moment of conception, with an exception to save the woman’s life. It made abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performed an abortion or helped a person obtain one. Tuesday’s decision effectively undoes a lower court’s ruling that held that a recent 15-week ban superseded the law.
Reproductive rights advocates and supporters like Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes have called the law “draconian” and argued that a 160-year-old policy has no place in the state’s modern political landscape. But Lynn Dyer, 80, with the Life Choices Women’s Clinic doesn’t see it that way. She said she was “overjoyed” when the ruling came down.
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