Abortions up to 15 weeks will remain legal for a limited time, Arizona providers say

Planned Parenthood of Arizona plans to continue offering abortions up to 15 weeks' gestation for a limited time after Tuesday's state Supreme Court decision reinstating a near-total ban on abortions.

While they were still digesting the "terrifying and infuriating" abortion decision from the state's highest court, leaders with Planned Parenthood Arizona said Tuesday morning that they expect to legally offer abortions at least through May.

In October 2022, in a separate lawsuit filed on behalf of a Phoenix doctor and the Arizona Medical Association, the Maricopa County Superior Court entered an order that bars the state from enforcing the 1864 near-total abortion ban until 45 days after the Arizona Supreme Court issues its mandate in the case it ruled on Tuesday.

The mandate won’t be issued for at least several weeks, Planned Parenthood officials estimated.

Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick, a family physician and owner of Camelback Family Planning in Phoenix, told The Arizona Republic she expects to continue offering abortions at least for the next two weeks and possibly longer, depending on what her legal advisers say, and also depending on the protections that Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes will be able to provide.

Mayes on Tuesday said that as long as she is attorney general, "no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law in this state."

Goodrick called the decision "horrible, draconian and unbelievable."

She said it's shameful that Arizona would go back to a law that was created before women had the right to vote, adding that most Arizonans want abortion to be legal.

"This never has been a decision that government should be involved in," she said. "Legal access to abortion is crucial to maternal and infant health."

Providers and health experts say Tuesday's decision will increase maternal mortality and put more Arizonans at risk of staying in abusive relationships and becoming economically unstable. The people most at risk are disenfranchised communities, including young people and people of color.

"We know that today’s ruling does not reflect the will of the people, as Arizonans are overwhelmingly in favor of abortion access," said Angela Florez, Planned Parenthood president and CEO.

"Instead, it is the latest card in anti-abortion extremists’ deck of cruel and harmful tactics to strip Arizonans of their right to live under a rule of law that respects our bodily autonomy and reproductive decisions."

Planned Parenthood Arizona has historically had four clinics in Arizona that offer abortions ― in Tempe, Glendale, Flagstaff and Tucson. More recently, it has offered abortion care in Tempe, Glendale and Tucson but was hoping to ramp up services in Flagstaff soon.

Planned Parenthood and other providers in Arizona have said they experienced severe staffing issues and patient confusion because of chaos and uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 decision to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which had provided constitutional protection for obtaining an abortion.

As a result, some providers and other staff members left for states where they could safely provide abortion care.

A statement from Planned Parenthood Arizona said Tuesday's decision adopts the "fringe policy agenda" of Dr. Eric Hazelrigg, an anti-abortion doctor at a crisis pregnancy center in Arizona; Dennis McGrane, the Yavapai County attorney; and their lawyers at the Scottsdale-based Alliance Defending Freedom.

"There really is no way to sugarcoat it. Today is a dark day for Arizona," Florez said. "This ruling will cause long-lasting, detrimental harms for our communities. It strips Arizonans of their bodily autonomy and it bans abortion in nearly all scenarios. ... For the next several months, it's going to be really difficult to see patients and providers suffer."

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @stephanieinnes.