A ballot initiative to expand abortion in Arizona will not use the phrase “unborn human being” after a judge rejected the language put forth by Republican lawmakers, deeming it too partisan and emotional. The case is now headed to the state Supreme Court.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Whitten asked that the initiative, which seeks to expand abortion access from 15 weeks to 24 weeks, use more “neutral” language. Children born as young as 21 weeks have survived.
Earlier this year, Arizonans for Access — a coalition of pro-abortion groups, including the ACLU of Arizona and Planned Parenthood of Arizona — announced that they had gathered enough signatures to put a pro-abortion measure on the ballot in November. If passed, the initiative would create a “fundamental right” in the state constitution to intentionally kill preborn children up to so-called viability, an arbitrary pregnancy marker since children are surviving at increasingly premature ages and are completely viable when left in the natural habitat of the womb.
