The Arizona Court of Appeals restores the right to abortion up to 15 weeks of pregnancy

MADRID, 8 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The federal Court of Appeals of Arizona (United States) has blocked this Friday the decision of a court of first instance that allowed the application of a territorial law that prohibits 'de facto' abortion, for which the pregnancy may be interrupted until 3 p.m. gestation weeks.

This ruling comes after months of uncertainty regarding the right to abortion in this state, since after the repeal by the Supreme Court of the Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973 --the legal precedent that allowed abortion in the country until June-- , in Arizona a rule that dates back to 1864 came into force and allowed anyone who facilitated the termination of pregnancy to be sentenced to five years in prison.

However, Governor Doug Ducey maintained that the law approved in 2022 and that entered into force only a month ago prevailed over the previous one and made abortion legal until the 15th week of pregnancy, except when it was to save the life of the mother, according to collects the local newspaper 'The Arizona Republic'.

In this sense, the judges have indicated in the ruling that "the courts of Arizona have the responsibility to try to harmonize the abortion laws of the state." After what they have estimated that "in the balance of the difficulties, it is in favor of granting the suspension" of said norm, "given the great need (...) for legal clarity regarding the application of criminal laws."

After learning of the ruling, the Planned Parenthood Arizona organization has stated in a statement that it will restart the procedure in its clinics, although it has warned that it is a temporary regulation and that the old rule could regain its validity later.

"While today's ruling provides temporary respite for Arizonans, the continuing threat of this extreme and near-total abortion ban that disregards the health care of people across the state, including survivors of rape or incest , is still very real," the organization said.

For its part, the state attorney general's office, Mark Brnovich, has conveyed that "it understands that it is an emotional problem" so "they will carefully review the court's ruling before determining the next step to take."