Abortions can continue while the case between Planned Parenthood and the Arizona attorney general works its way through the courts.
The ongoing healthcare crisis for women is far from over—but at least for now, there is some good news: abortions at Planned Parenthood have resumed in Arizona statewide.
“In court, we continue to oppose extremist, anti-abortion politicians who are working overtime to continue to stir chaos and confusing and put politics over patience,” a Planned Parenthood Arizona spokeswoman said during a morning news conference on Oct. 27.
RELATED: Arizona Abortions Will Continue Until at Least Mid-November
The nonprofit conducted abortions throughout October solely at the Southern Arizona Regional Health Center (SARHC) in Tucson while an appeals court considered the case between Planned Parenthood and the Arizona attorney general.
Yesterday, Planned Parenthood Arizona stated on their Facebook page that as of Oct. 7, abortions in Arizona are currently legal up to 15 weeks due to the Arizona Appeals Court issuing a stay to block the enforcement of the 150-year-old near-total abortion ban enforced by Judge Johnson on Sept. 23.
The stay temporarily blocks the ban that had been active for two weeks while Planned Parenthood Arizona’s appeal proceeds, allowing them to resume abortion care during that time.
“We know these times are confusing and frustrating, as we feel the same, but we cannot back down,” the nonprofit stated.
RELATED: Arizona Clinic Has Workaround for Abortion Pill Ban
The Arizona Court of Appeals can’t decide the case until at least Nov. 17. The appeals court blocked enforcement of the Civil War-era law on Friday, reversing—at least for now—a Sept. 23 ruling from a judge in Tucson.
Clinics across the state ceased all abortions after that ruling. It was the second time abortion clinics stopped serving women since the US Supreme Court overruled Roe. v. Wade in June and allowed states to ban the procedure.
They had ceased care after Roe was overturned, then restarted in mid-summer after a federal judge blocked a “personhood” law that clinics feared could be used to prosecute providers.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Araceli Cruz is a Multimedia Producer for Copper Courier. Her stories have been published in The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Mic, The Cut, Zora, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and others.
