Statement from Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice on Arizona Supreme Court Ruling

“We are outraged that the Arizona Supreme Court allowed a Civil War-era law to take effect, banning abortion care for millions of Arizonans. Reviving a law from the 1800s—before Arizona was even a state—shows the lengths that anti-abortion politicians and judges are willing to go to advance their agenda to ban all abortions. We are especially angry because these legal challenges do so much damage in our communities; through all of the back-and-forth we know this is causing confusion, fear, and uncertainty in the community, which makes it much easier for misinformation to spread and deters people from getting the care they need. “This ruling will also have a disproportionate impact on Latinas/xs. Arizona is home to the fifth largest number of Latinas/xs in the country and we know the impact of this near-total ban will fall hardest on them and other communities of color. Over half a million Latinas/xs in Arizona will be impacted by this ban, the third largest Latina/x population who will be impacted among states that have banned or restricted abortion care. “This ruling puts politics over the health and well-being of people who need care, their families, and their communities. We will not stand by as anti-abortion politicians and judges push their extreme political agenda and take away our freedoms. At the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, we will continue to build power in Latino/x communities across the country to ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need, including abortion care.”