Anti-abortion campaign signs in the East Valley urged voters to say no to Proposition 139, the abortion access measure on the ballot in November, stating the measure would allow abortions up to the time of birth in Arizona.
Abortions after 21 weeks historically have been extremely rare, according to state health records.
The Republic found the hand-painted signs along busy intersections and streets in Chandler, intermingled with other campaign signs. They were also spotted in Tempe, Mesa, Queen Creek and the West Valley.
Cindy Dahlgren, spokesperson for the anti-abortion group It Goes Too Far, whose website was advertised in some of the signs, told The Republic the signs were not paid for or authorized by the group.
They advertised the argument that Proposition 139 would allow abortions up until birth. That is not explicitly stated in the proposition’s language.
Reports of the signs first spread on r/Arizona and r/azpolitics, a subgroup on the social media platform Reddit. “They’re trying so hard to look homemade, wrote a user in r/azpolitics. “We have several of these in my neighborhood,” wrote another on r/Arizona.