Arizona abortion initiative backers sue to remove ‘unborn human being’ from voter pamphlet language

PHOENIX (AP) — Backers of a November abortion rights ballot initiative have sued a GOP-led legislative committee that seeks to include proposed language for the voter pamphlet referring to a fetus as an “unborn human being.”

Arizona for Abortion Access filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday, asking that a judge refuse to allow the language favored by a Republican-dominated legislative group for the initiative summary. The summary will appear on a pamphlet voters can use to decide how to cast their ballots.

Abortion rights is a central issue in Democratic campaigns in this year’s elections. Variations of Arizona’s ballot initiative, which will ask voters if abortion rights should be enshrined in the state constitution, have been proposed in six other states: Nebraska, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota. New York also has a measure that advocates say would protect abortion access.

The Arizona abortion rights group says the pamphlet summary should simply use the word “fetus,” and argues that “unborn human being” is a politically charged phrase aimed at provoking opposition to the measure.

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“Arizona voters have a right to clear, accurate and impartial information from the state before they are asked to vote on ballot initiatives,” the group said in a statement. “The decision of the Arizona Legislative Council fails to abide by that responsibility by rejecting the request to use the neutral, medical term ‘fetus’ in place of ‘unborn human being’ in the 2024 General Election Publicity Pamphlet.”

The proposed constitutional amendment would allow abortions in Arizona until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the woman’s life or to protect her physical or mental health. It would restrict the state from adopting or enforcing any law that would prohibit access to the procedure.

Arizona currently has a 15-week abortion ban.

Opponents of the proposed Arizona amendment say it could lead to unlimited and unregulated abortions in the state.

Leisa Brug, manager of the opposition It Goes Too Far campaign, argued for the term “unborn human being.”

“It shouldn’t read like an advertisement for the amendment, it should provide voters with a clear understanding of what current law states and what the amendment would do if passed.” Brug said in a statement.

Organizers in Arizona earlier this month said they had submitted 823,685 signatures, far more than the 383,923 required from registered voters. County election officials have until Aug. 22 to verify whether enough of the signatures are valid and provide results to the Arizona secretary of state’s office.