Arizona veteran organization endorses voting ‘yes’ on protecting abortion in Arizona

FILE - Arizona abortion-rights supporters gather for a news conference prior to delivering more than 800,000 petition signatures to the state Capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot, July 3, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

By Robert Gundran

October 11, 2024

Proposition 139 would amend the state constitution to protect abortion before fetal viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

VetsForward (VetsFWD), an Arizona nonprofit, endorsed voting “yes” on Proposition 139, a ballot measure that would constitutionally protect abortion in the state.

VetsFWD said its mission is to defend democracy through grassroots advocacy. The organization said its members are focused on issues that matter to veterans, like gun safety laws, clean energy, voting rights, equitable care at the VA, criminal justice reforms, and reproductive rights.

“I served in the Marine Corps because I believe that every American deserves the right to make decisions about their own life and body, free from interference. It has been frustrating to see this freedom taken away by politicians,” VetsFWD board member JoAnna Mendoza, a US Marine Corps veteran, said in a press release.

RELATED: This conservative is supporting Democrats and Prop 139 in November

Back in April, VetsFWD opposed the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the state’s 1864 abortion ban, which was later overturned by Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the Arizona Legislature.

“A fundamental principle of our government is that it should work to improve the lives of Americans, not make them harder by imposing restrictions that put our health, fertility, and lives at risk,” Mendoza said.

Prop 139 will appear on ballots across Arizona in the 2024 election. A “yes” vote supports amending the state constitution to protect abortion before fetal viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy. Several states across the country have added similar amendments to their constitutions since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

To learn more about Prop 139, to see what’s on your ballot, or to register to vote, check out The Copper Courier’s 2024 guide to voting in Arizona here.

Author

Robert Gundran

Robert Gundran grew up in the Southwest, spending equal time in the Valley and Southern California throughout his life. He graduated from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2018 and wrote for The Arizona Republic and The Orange County Register.

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CATEGORIES: REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

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