Arizona's abortion ban is a cautionary tale

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Arizona’s near-total abortion ban, set to take effect in June, may be one of the shortest-lived: State lawmakers repealed it a mere three weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court deemed the Civil War-era law enforceable.

While the ban on nearly all abortions in Arizona will last only into the fall, its impacts on other areas of reproductive health care could be far-reaching. The same is true in other states with tight restrictions and bans on abortion, explain Swapna Reddy, a health policy expert, and Mary Saxon, a soon-to-be health care lawyer, both from Arizona State University.

Since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, states with tight restrictions on abortion have struggled to maintain and recruit OB-GYNs who perform other crucial services like pre- and postnatal care, birthing services, family planning and much more, write Reddy and Saxon. This is particularly problematic in states that already have a shortage of reproductive health care services – like Arizona – and can exacerbate maternal mortality rates, especially for Black and Native women.

“Women who are forced to prolong their high-risk pregnancies due to abortion bans are at elevated risk of needing emergency maternity care. Without proper maternity care, many of these women will suffer severe complications, and in some cases, they will die,” they write.

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Amanda Mascarelli

Senior Health and Medicine Editor

Abortion rights supporters gather outside the Arizona Capitol building in Phoenix. AP Photo/Matt York

Arizona’s now-repealed abortion ban serves as a cautionary tale for reproductive health care across the US

Swapna Reddy, Arizona State University; Mary Saxon, Arizona State University

The implications of restrictive laws or near-total bans go well beyond abortions, reducing overall access to prenatal care, birthing services, routine reproductive health care and more.

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