Scripps News and Decision Desk HQ project voters in Arizona will enact stronger new abortion protections with an amendment to the state constitution.
Proposition 139 will add an amendment to protect abortion up until the viability of a fetus outside the womb. The exact timing of viability depends on a number of factors, and the measure does not define a limit for viability, but a widely accepted timeframe is following 24-28 weeks of pregnancy.
The measure will also allow abortion in cases where it is necessary to protect the life of the mother.
Arizona's current law, signed in 2022, bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and includes exceptions in cases of medical emergency.
In April of 2024, Arizona's Supreme Court upheld a state law dating back to the Civil War era that made nearly all abortions in the state illegal, with the exception of cases in which the procedure is needed to save the mother's life. That law was eventually repealed by Arizona's legislature.
