A protester holds a sign at an April rally in support of reproductive rights and abortion access in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Gloria Rebecca Gomez/Arizona Mirror)
This story first appeared in the Arizona Mirror . Read more Stateline coverage on how states are either protecting or curbing access to abortion.
Arizonans overwhelmingly voted to make abortion a fundamental right , but overturning the state’s current 15-week gestational ban — and multiple other anti-abortion laws still on the books — isn’t automatic.
Just an hour after she joined Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Republican Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer on Monday to certify the results of the 2024 general election , Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said that officially nullifying the 15-week ban will need to take place in the courts. And, she added, while her office considers the certification of Proposition 139, the abortion rights ballot measure that netted more than 60% of the vote, as sufficient to restore access to the procedure, the reality is that some providers might continue to hesitate until legal protections are more firmly established.