Organizations across Arizona are increasing their efforts to help women in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision May 17 to hear a case that has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade, and the passing of a new bill to further restrict abortion in the state.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case from Mississippi over a law passed in 2018 that made abortions illegal after 15 weeks. This case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade by allowing a state to ban abortion before viability. The court previously held that the Constitution forbids banning abortion before viability; 15 weeks is a significantly shorter time frame than what is considered viable.

Supporters of the pro-life agenda are elated at the possibility that Roe v. Wade will be overturned and the decisions on abortion laws will revert back to states’ jurisdiction.

Supporters of the hearing argue that the law in question is necessary to protect the life of an unborn child and that failing to do so equates to murder.

Critics argue that this hearing threatens reproductive rights across the country and violates the constitutional rights of a woman to choose what to do with her own body.

The Supreme Court agreeing to take on this case caps a decades-long battle that conservatives have been fighting to get the nation’s highest bench to weigh in on legislation that restricts abortion rights. In Arizona this decision will deeply affect women’s health care access.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, in 2019 13,000 women had abortions and of that 68.5% were in Maricopa County. Nearly 9,000 abortions were performed in Maricopa County compared to nearly 51,000 births, giving the county an abortion rate of over 10%. No matter what side of the debate you are on, it is undeniable that this issue will affect a large portion of the population.

Abortion is a common solution to unwanted pregnancies in Arizona and further restricting access will deeply influence the lives of women across the state.

SB 1457 signed into law

Arizona recently passed Senate Bill, SB 1457, which made it illegal to abort a fetus solely because of a genetic abnormality. This bill has since been signed into law by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

Arizona State Sen. Victoria Steele fiercely opposed this bill and is a strong advocate for women’s rights.

Steele summarized the bill as an unconstitutional bill focused on “fetal personhood” that criminalizes the doctor-patient relationship and would allow partners and family members to sue, both the patient for getting an abortion and the provider for giving access to one.

“This is the Republicans’ attempt to doggedly pursue a woman’s right to control her own body,” Steele said.

The sponsor of the bill claims that the purpose of the bill is to combat disability discrimination, Steele said. But this bill does not make Arizona a better place for the disabled. This bill “co-opts the mantle of disability rights,” Steele said.

“This bill attacks the dignity and right of women to health care,” Steele said. “And let me be clear, abortion care is health care.”

The ramifications of this bill will make doctors leery of providing care and will only remove safe abortion options, Steele said. Without access to safe abortions pregnant women are more vulnerable and may endanger themselves in pursuit of an illegal abortion, Steele said.

In reference to the upcoming case in the Supreme Court, Steele said that “they are determined to take our control away.” There is a “hostile environment for abortion access” and a rash of abortion acts is sweeping the country, Steele said.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and abortion access reverts back to the states, there is an old law on the books that makes abortion a felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, Steele said.

Steele believes that this is not what the public wants and said that instead Congress needs to act and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect abortion access across the country.

“Since 2011, 480 abortion restrictions have been enacted to make abortion inaccessible,” Steele said. These restrictions disproportionately affect women of color and those from low-income backgrounds the most, Steele said. If abortion is made illegal, the rich will still be able to find someone to do it quietly, everyone else is out of luck, Steele said.

“This is an attack on all of us, not just women,” Steele said.

The Center for Arizona Policy, an anti-abortion non-profit organization, fights for the rights of the unborn child.

Cindy Dahlgren, communications director for the Center for Arizona Policy, said that the center “values both the life of the unborn child and the wellbeing of the woman.”

The Center for Arizona Policy is “unashamedly pro-life” and “values all human life, from its very conception to its natural end,” Dahlgren said in an interview.

“We welcome the Supreme Court’s review of this case,” Dahlgren said. The center strongly believes that Roe v. Wade was “wrongly decided” and that it should be overturned.

In reference to the Supreme Court case that may overturn Roe v. Wade, Dahlgren said that “we [the center] look at how this case affects Arizona, advocate for it and really work to educate people on what the case is about and why Roe should ultimately be overturned, if not through Dobbs, then at least it’s a start.”

Dahlgren has fought abortion rights because she believes abortion is inhumane and has hopes that one day abortion will “not only be illegal, but unthinkable.”

At 15 weeks the unborn baby already has a fully developed heart, arms and legs and can feel pain, Dahlgren said.

The center’s goal is to save the lives of pre-born babies and protect women’s emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing, Dahlgren said. Abortion comes with many risks and Dahlgren shared a story of a woman who took an abortion pill which resulted in lots of complications. After several infections the woman found out that her abortion had not been completed and it was causing the infections and ultimately she had to have surgery.

The center aims not only to protect the life of the unborn child, but also to protect the woman, Dahlgren said.

Dahlgren believes that aborting a fetus solely based on a disability is discriminatory and that SB 1457 will ensure that “babies with disabilities will no longer be discriminated against,” Dahlgren said of the legislature’s decision.

Pro-Choice Arizona, an abortion-rights foundation committed to helping people obtain reproductive justice and expand access to safe abortions, took a different stance on the bill and the Supreme Courts review of Roe v. Wade.

Eloisa Lopez, the executive director for Pro-Choice Arizona, said the bill would further restrict abortion access and laid a “dangerous foundation” for the wording of future bills.

“Extremist elected officials” are pushing the boundaries to see how far they can restrict abortion rights,” Lopez said.

The bill was not crafted with the support of the disabled community and does not represent what they want, Lopez said.

As abortions become increasingly harder to access, more people will be placed in higher-stress situations where they will become increasingly desperate for care, Lopez said. Not everyone can afford the care that they need and “this bill will skyrocket maternal mortality rates, infant mortality rates and child abuse,” she said.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, Pro-Choice Arizona is supporting its cause through social media advocacy and education, Lopez said. Pro-Choice Arizona provides education tools for rural communities which are most at risk for unplanned pregnancies.

The Supreme Court choosing to hear this case at all shows that they are “willing to erode Roe v. Wade” and “something negative will come out of this regardless of the decision that is made,” Lopez said.

The effects of this decision will “ripple across to every state” and Arizona is extremely at risk, Lopez said. The laws that are currently on the books in Arizona from before Roe v. Wade would make abortion illegal, completely restricting access in the state, Lopez said.

“At the center of this all is bodily autonomy,” Lopez said. “People know what is best for them and when they have a child that they are not ready for and cannot provide for, the child born suffers the most.”

Forcing a woman to remain pregnant even though the fetus won’t survive will “compound grief and force them to endure prolonged loss,” Lopez said. The choice to abort an unwanted pregnancy is a tough decision for anyone to make and these people deserve respect, how they choose to go through the process should be honored, Lopez said.

“I think it’s often forgotten that we should prioritize the pregnant person first,” Lopez said. “Our values focus on compassion and pregnant people deserve compassion.”

Editor’s note: Savanna Lee is a student journalist at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.