By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via PinalCentral
The president’s choice for a new Supreme Court justice Monday means the ability of Arizona women to terminate a pregnancy likely depends on who is elected governor in November.
In picking Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy, the president tilts the philosophical balance of the high court. More significant to some, it could provide the crucial five votes to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade decision that said women have a constitutional right to abortion.
Related: Supreme Court will hear Arizona age-discrimination case
That could return the legal landscape to where it was before 1973, where each state gets to decide whether to allow abortion and under what circumstances. And that, in turn, is why who is governor — and who gets the final say on state laws — will matter for those on both sides of the abortion debate in Arizona.
At this point in the campaign, the division over abortion rights appears to be breaking down along party lines, potentially making the question of abortion rights an issue in the general election.
