A federal judge on Monday barred enforcement of a so-called “personhood” law in Arizona that advocacy groups warned would be used to criminalize abortion across the state.<\/p>\n
The Center for Reproductive Rights \u2014 part of the coalition that demanded and obtained the injunction \u2014 noted in a press release that the 2021 law crafted by Republican legislators “classifies fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs as ‘people’ starting at the point of conception.”<\/p>\n
“The vague provision placed both providers and pregnant people at risk of arbitrary prosecution,” the group said. “Amid the uncertainty surrounding the interpretation and application of the personhood law, Arizona abortion clinics in the state have suspended abortion services. Arizona’s personhood law is one of several conflicting laws on the books, including a pre-Roe<\/em> ban, adding to the confusion on whether abortion providers can resume services.”<\/p>\n Judge Douglas Rayes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona expressed agreement Monday with the reproductive rights coalition’s argument that the 2021 statute is overly and unlawfully vague. Arizona officials have conceded<\/a> in legal filings that it’s “anyone’s guess” what the law’s impacts would be across the state.<\/p>\n “When the punitive and regulatory weight of the entire Arizona code is involved, plaintiffs should not have to guess at whether their conduct is on the right or the wrong side of the law,” Rayes wrote<\/a> in his decision Monday.<\/p>\n Victoria L\u00f3pez, director of program and strategy with the ACLU of Arizona, said that in response to the ruling that “while we’re glad that the court has blocked it and that prosecutors can’t use this to go after pregnant people or providers, the fight for abortion access continues.”<\/p>\n “Arizona’s personhood provision was crafted recklessly by extremist lawmakers in their harmful quest to eradicate abortion access in the state,” said L\u00f3pez. “Over 80% of Arizona voters want abortion to remain legal \u2014 and we’ll continue to fight for that freedom.”<\/p>\n BREAKING: An Arizona court blocked a law giving so-called "personhood" rights to fetuses and embryos from being used to criminalize abortion.<\/p>\n When Roe was overturned, this vague law threatened providers and patients with jail time for providing and seeking essential health care.<\/p>\n — ACLU (@ACLU) July 11, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n