PHOENIX — Calling them “government surveillance,” Gov. Katie Hobbs wants lawmakers to repeal a host of laws that require abortion providers to report details on pregnant women to the state.
The governor’s call comes as the Department of Health Services on Wednesday released its annual report spelling out not just the number of abortions performed but various details, ranging from the procedure used and the gestational age of the fetus to the race of the woman and the reason she wanted to terminate a pregnancy.
While doctors and clinics making the reports know the identity of their patients, none of that information is furnished to the health department, and none is included in the public report.
But the governor said the requirement to even gather the information — something not required of any other medical procedure — is unacceptable.
“This report is an attack on our freedom, is unacceptable, and must be brought to an end,” Hobbs said in a prepared statement. “The government has no place in surveilling Arizonans’ medical decision-making or tracking their health history.”