BY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ – AUGUST 25, 2022 7:12 AM
Brittany Fonteno, the CEO and President of Planned Parenthood Arizona, discusses reproductive rights at the state Capitol on Aug. 24, 2022. Planned Parenthood paused abortion services in Arizona in June after the high court struck down Roe v. Wade, citing legal uncertainty in the state because of conflicting laws and bans – one of which mandates a 2 to 5 year prison sentence for abortion providers. Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez | Arizona Mirror
On the two-month anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal Roe v. Wade, Arizona Democratic Party chair Raquel Terán slammed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters, calling him dangerous for women in the state and across the country, and urging voters to reject him.
“If Blake Masters ever gets his way, women across the country could face jail time for making essential, extremely personal decisions,” she said.
Masters took hard-line positions on reproductive rights during the GOP primary, announcing his support for a nationwide personhood law for fetuses and campaigning, in part, on the promise that he would vote to confirm judges who will strike down federal protections for contraception.
These stances, Terán said, are wildly out-of-line with voter sentiment across the state.
“We are a pro-choice state,” she said. “Blake Masters: Arizonans are not with you.”
A poll conducted in February found that as much as 90% of Arizonans agree that family planning decisions should be left up to them, and free from political interference.
Masters’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Restricting access to abortion services harms women with unhealthy pregnancies, warned Eva Burch, a state Senate candidate for District 9 in Mesa, who has more than 10 years of experience as a nurse.
“As a medical professional, I can tell you firsthand that women, children, families and communities will suffer,” she said.
MORE:
