By Rachel Roubein and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez
(Phoenix) – Major abortion rights groups launched a bid Tuesday to enshrine abortion protections into the Arizona Constitution, setting off a high-stakes battle in a politically divided swing state that was once reliably Republican.
The effort represents the latest attempt by abortion rights groups to counteract bans in states across the country, and Arizona advocates said they believe the public is on their side. Abortion rights supporters scored major victories during last year’s midterm elections and have since begun ballot measure campaigns in a handful of Republican-led states, such as Ohio, Florida and Missouri.
Arizona for Abortion Access, the new political action committee supporting the ballot measure, filed proposed language for a constitutional amendment with the Arizona secretary of state’s office Tuesday — the first step in a lengthy process to put an abortion rights question before voters on the November 2024 ballot. This initiative, first reported by The Washington Post, includes the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, NARAL Arizona, Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health, Arizona List, and Healthcare Rising Arizona.