Pro abortion rally at U.S. Supreme Court/Creative Commons
By Ray Stern | Arizona Republic
A group of Arizona Democratic politicians urged voters who care about abortion rights to reject Republicans this election season at every possible juncture.
Democrats, facing potential losses in the midterm elections as the country wades through economic problems, believe last month’s explosive U.S. Supreme Court decision that overruled Roe v. Wade could help turn the tide for them.
According to four Democrats who spoke to the news media in a video call, the path to restoring reproductive rights goes through the ballot box.
“Every political office up for election this year has an opportunity to impact this issue in one way, shape or form,” said state Sen. Martín Quezada, D-Glendale, a Phoenix lawyer who’s running for state treasurer.
Most abortion providers in the state stopped offering services to patients after the June 24 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which put the responsibility for abortion laws back in the hands of states.
It’s still unclear in Arizona whether a total ban on providing abortions from the state’s territorial days will be revived, or whether more recently made restrictions will become the prevailing law.
Quezada, who’s been in the Legislature since 2012, appeared in the video call along with Sen. Raquel Terán, D-Phoenix, (who’s also the chair of the Arizona Democratic Party), Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Eva Burch, a Democrat running for the state Senate in west Mesa.
Like other Democratic lawmakers, Quezada and Terán have tried to pass pro-abortion bills, or to repeal existing anti-abortion laws, but have been stymied by Republicans who enjoy total control because of one-vote majorities in the state House and Senate.
