(NewsNation) — Arizona voters have approved a measure to amend the state constitution to include the right to an abortion before the point of fetal viability, NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ projected.
Proposition 139 was one of 10 abortion rights measures that appeared on ballots across the country this November.
Arizona law currently allows abortions until 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for medical emergencies.
Under the amendment, the state can not interfere with an abortion before the point of fetal viability — which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says is typically around 24 weeks — unless a health-care professional determines an abortion would harm “the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.”
Anti-abortion groups helmed by the Arizona Right to Life sought to block the measure in court.
The group challenged a handful of words that were left out of the description and argued the “primary thrust” of the amendment was a “wholesale dismantling of existing law related to abortion in Arizona.”
The suit was dismissed by a judge who said there’s no legal reason to prevent it from being considered by voters, reported the Arizona Mirror.
“We aren’t surprised by this win because our opposition’s arguments had no basis in Arizona law, and were nothing more than false political talking points,” Dawn Penich, a spokeswoman for the Arizona for Abortion Access Campaign, told the outlet.“If our opposition appeals, we are confident we will prevail just as we are confident we will win at the ballot box this November.”
Abortion rights groups supporting the measure raised more than $17 million to fund their efforts, while anti-abortion groups raised about $9 million.
Abortion-rights ballot measure supporters across the country raised nearly eight times as much money as groups campaigning against the amendments on ballots across the country..
Abortion is a polarizing issue that was expected to draw people to the polls, potentially impacting the presidential race in swing states, control of Congress and the outcomes of closely contested state offices.
Arizona’s ballot measure is expected to be intensively studied for that reason, Samara Klar, a professor at the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy, told NewsNation prior to Election Day.
“Abortion is an issue that typically — and I think very clearly in Arizona — helped Democratic candidates,” she said. “Not many Arizonans support a ban.”
Abortion was a central issue driving voters to the polls in the 2022 midterm elections, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In polling leading up to Election Day, abortion had surpassed inflation to be the top issue in the presidential election for young women.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
