The Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference this week affirmed their pro-life stance and rejected the state’s repeal of its pre-Roe law, a repeal that will enable abortion up to 15 weeks in the state.
The bishops stated on May 2, “[we] wish to declare our firm and continued commitment to serving pre-born children and their Mothers.”
The bishops also condemned an extreme pro-abortion ballot initiative that, if successful, would make abortion legal in the state through all nine months, up to birth.
“This initiative, among other things, would likely remove most safeguards for girls and women that are currently at place in abortion clinics, permit a minor to obtain an abortion without parental involvement or permission, and allow for painful late-term abortions of viable pre-born children,” the bishops concluded:
We do not believe that this extreme initiative is what Arizona wants or needs.
Accordingly, we pray for all those working to promote the right to life and that the initiative does not succeed.
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The statement is signed by Bishop John P. Dolan, Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Bishop James S. Wall, and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares.
The original pro-life law passed in 1862, making nearly all abortions illegal in Arizona. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, the state passed a law legalizing abortion up to 15 weeks. A case about the laws, Planned Parenthood v. Mayes, escalated up to the state’s Supreme Court in December 2023. In early April 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the pre-Roe law.
Surprisingly, many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, R-AZ, criticized the ruling.
After the Republican House voted to repeal the pre-Roe law that has protected nearly all pre-born children, the legislation moved to the Senate, which voted in favor of the repeal on May 1. Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the repeal into law on May 2.
LifeNews Note: McKenna Snow writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
