(Phoenix) An informational pamphlet intended for Arizona voters who will decide this fall whether to enshrine abortion rights in the Constitution can refer to a fetus as an “unborn human being,” the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday.
The constitutional amendment that will be put before Arizona voters in November would allow abortions in the state until a fetus can survive outside the womb — typically around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Exceptions would be made to save the mother’s life or to protect her physical or mental health.
The constitutional amendment would prevent the State of Arizona from adopting or enforcing any law that would prohibit access to this procedure.
The Arizona Supreme Court justices in their decision Wednesday sided with the state’s Republican lawmakers against supporters of the measure.
The decision drew sharp criticism from abortion rights advocates, who argued that the pamphlet’s use of “unborn human being” was neither impartial nor objective. They also feared that Arizonans would be subjected to biased and politically charged language.
“We are deeply disappointed by this decision, but we will not be deterred from doing everything in our power to communicate to voters the truth and why it is essential to vote YES this fall to restore and protect access to abortion care,” Arizona for Abortion Access said in a statement.
The government brochure provides voters with information about the candidates running and the proposals being voted on, to help them make informed choices. It was unclear, however, whether the specific language in the brochure would also appear on the ballot on November 5.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said Monday it had certified 577,971 signatures on the petition to put the question to voters on Nov. 5 — far more than the number required by law.
Democrats have made abortion rights a central message of their rhetoric since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision that legalized the procedure nationwide. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling instead leaves it up to each state to enact its own abortion law.