Kelly Statement on Arizona Senate Voting to Repeal Abortion Ban

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released the following statement after the Arizona Senate voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban reinstituted by the state’s Supreme Court in April: 

“The majority of Arizonans support a woman’s right to make her own decisions about abortion. I’m relieved that common sense prevailed today, but this harmful ban may still take effect for some time, leaving chaos and uncertainty for Arizona women and doctors.

“This reality is the result of Roe v. Wade being overturned and the only way to fix it is to restore reproductive rights once and for all.” 

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has said that the 1864 ban could be enforced as early as June 27^th, and the legislature’s repeal won’t go into effect until 90 days after the conclusion of the legislative session. Kelly has been a leading voice nationally against this ban, condemning the Arizona Supreme Court decision moments after it was released and speaking about the disastrous impact for women and doctors. 

Kelly is a co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would write almost 50 years of precedent for abortion protections under Roe v. Wade into law, and joined a brief in support of upholding the Food and Drug Administration’s longstanding authority to approve and regulate mifepristone—an abortion and miscarriage management medication that has been used safely and effectively for over 20 years. Kelly also helped introduce legislation to provide a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program.