US Senate field hearing on state abortion laws scheduled for Phoenix
A U.S. Senate field hearing focusing on abortion is scheduled for next week in downtown Phoenix.
Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., who is chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, will lead the event on Tuesday, June 25, her office announced Tuesday morning.
The hearing is titled "Chaos and Confusion: Examining the Patchwork of Abortion Restrictions Across America Since Dobbs." It is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Arizona time in the A.E. England Building, 424 N. Central Ave., in downtown Phoenix and will hear testimony from a panel of people whose names had not been announced as of Tuesday.
The aim of the hearing is to examine the impact that various state laws have had on abortion patients and providers across the country in the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, Butler's office said.
In its Dobbs decision, the nation's highest court ruled that states could set their own abortion laws without any federal standard protecting abortion access.
“For nearly 50 years the U.S. Supreme Court, in decision after decision, guaranteed women of the United States the constitutional right to privacy and the right to make decisions about their own bodies," Butler said in an emailed statement.
"As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, I lead this field hearing to further examine the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to roll back that right. "
The impact of "patchwork" state laws on abortion in the U.S. "deserve to be examined and understood" because "the freedom of future generations requires it," Butler's statement says.
In Arizona, the Dobbs decision ignited confusion, a court battle and intermittent stops in abortion care. Abortion providers throughout the state, including Planned Parenthood Arizona, lost staff members and had trouble hiring new ones.
The number of abortions performed in Arizona declined from 13,998 in 2021 to 11,530 in 2022, a drop of about 18%, the most recent state abortion report from the Arizona Department of Health Services says.
The confusion continued into 2024. In a move that attracted national headlines, the Arizona Supreme Court on April 9 upheld a Civil War-era near total ban on abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The 19th century law was ultimately repealed by the Arizona Legislature in a law signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs in May.
Though new laws don't typically take effect until 91 days after the end of the most recent legislative session, the territorial-era, near-total abortion ban likely won't be taking effect, state Attorney General Kris Mayes said Monday.
A December 2022 report from the Commonwealth Fund, a private research foundation, found that states with restrictive abortion laws have fewer maternity care providers; more maternity care “deserts”; and higher rates of maternal mortality and infant death, especially among women of color. The study classified Arizona's abortion laws as "very restrictive."
Fourteen states have total abortion bans, and seven, including Arizona, have abortion bans within the first 18 weeks of gestation. Nine states, plus the District of Columbia, have no bans or gestational limits on abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a policy research organization that supports abortion rights. Most states make exceptions to abortion laws for risks to the life of the pregnant person.
A proposed constitutional amendment, called the Arizona Abortion Access Act, is expected to appear on the November general election ballot. It would create a "fundamental right" to obtain an abortion anytime before viability.
Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@gannett.com or at 480-313-3775. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @stephanieinnes
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: US Sen. Laphonza Butler to lead Phoenix hearing on state abortion laws
