The End of the Road for Arizona's 1864 Pregnancy Termination Ban

ArMA and more than 20 other healthcare organizations vehemently advocated for a repeal of Arizona's 1864 pregnancy termination ban. After weeks of tirelessly advocacy and more than 50,000 letters sent to legislators, legislators passed HB2677 (abortion ban; repeal) and Governor Katie Hobbs signed it into law. Once signed, the bill stood to go into effect on Arizona's General Effective Date, which is 90 days after the Arizona State Legislature adjourns sine die.

After the passage and signing of HB2677 (abortion ban; repeal), the Arizona Supreme Court approved a delayed enforcement of the pre-statehood pregnancy termination ban. Following that decision, the enforcement date became September 27, 2024. Thus, the lingering question remained: When would the legislature adjourn sine die, thus determining when the repeal would go into effect? Would it be before the end of the delayed enforcement?

Now on the other side of the state legislature's official sine die on Saturday, June 15, we know that the General Effective Date will be Saturday, September 14, meaning the ban will be repealed before enforcement was scheduled to resume. The 15-week pregnancy termination ban remains the current law in Arizona.

Our historic success in securing a repeal of Arizona's pre-statehood ban is a testament to the power of organized medicine and wouldn't have been possible without members' support. Looking ahead, ArMA will remain at the forefront of discussions impacting our practice of medicine, patient care, and reproductive health.