• Press Release

EMILYs List Statement on Democratic Pro-Choice Champions Working to Protect Abortion in Arizona

April 24, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Arizona House voted to repeal the Civil War-era total abortion ban in the state, and the legislation is now headed to the state Senate. This legislation was originally introduced by Democratic pro-choice champion and a previous EMILYs List-endorsed candidate Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton. The extreme ban is expected to go into effect on June 8, 2024, and would eliminate nearly all abortions in Arizona. If the near-total ban is repealed, the state will still remain under a 15-week ban that doesn’t allow exceptions for rape or incest. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement in response: 

“Democratic pro-choice women championed this legislation and are the reason we are one step closer to protecting abortion access in the state of Arizona. Make no mistake: Republicans in the state Legislature want to decimate abortion in Arizona, with almost every Republican voting to keep this draconian ban in place three times over. We call on the Arizona state Senate to do the right thing and send this bill to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk to protect the reproductive rights of millions.

“These Republican legislators have shown us who they are and the future they want for Arizona. This November we must flip the chambers by replacing them with Democratic pro-choice women who will defend abortion access and eliminate the extreme abortion bans in the state.” 

This year EMILYs List has endorsed six Democratic pro-choice women for reelection to the Arizona State Legislature who will protect abortion access, including: 

  • Judy Schwiebert, Senate-LD02
  • Christine Marsh, Senate-LD04
  • Eva Burch, Senate-LD09
  • Lorena Austin, House-LD09
  • Betty Villegas, House-LD20
  • Quantá Crews, House-LD26

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Our work is centered around a fundamental vision: Run. Win. Change the World. EMILYs List has raised $850 million in service to that vision and has helped Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the largest independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 175 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,500 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.