November 24, 2024
The "It Goes Too Far" campaign seeks to warn Arizonans that a proposed abortion amendment to the state's constitution is extreme and would put women at risk due to lowering medical provider standards. The "It Goes Too Far" coalition, which is supported by the Center for Arizona Policy Action, launched...

The “It Goes Too Far” campaign seeks to warn Arizonans that a proposed abortion amendment to the state’s constitution is extreme and would put women at risk due to lowering medical provider standards.

The “It Goes Too Far” coalition, which is supported by the Center for Arizona Policy Action, launched its campaign Wednesday to inform voters that the ballot initiative put forth by Arizona for Abortion Access does not match the views of a majority of residents concerning abortion.

Groups behind the ballot initiative include ACLU of Arizona, Arizona List and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.

The proposed amendment would make abortions illegal only after the unborn child is viable outside the womb. However, it also allows later-term abortions in the last trimester “to protect the life or physical or mental health of the [woman].”

Viability is usually considered around 23 or 24 weeks into the pregnancy, about 6 months.

Trending:

Man Who Aggressively Tried to Get Trump Removed from 2024 Ballots Arrested on Federal Charges

Arizona currently has a 15-week limit on abortions, with exceptions later in the pregnancy to save the life of the mother or prevent irreversible injury to her health.

A GOP-controlled state legislation passed that limit and then-Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed the bill into law in March 2022.

However, in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the issue entirely to the states.

Arizona also still has an 1864 territorial law on the books that bans abortions outright, except to save the life of the mother, ABC News reported.

In December 2022, the Arizona Court of Appeals harmonized the two laws, finding the 15-week limit would remain in effect.

Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case to definitively decide what the law in Arizona will be.

When the Supreme Court’s decision will be issued is not known, but it presumably will be well before the election.

Olivia Escobedo, political director for It Goes Too Far, characterized the proposed abortion amendment as “extreme.”

“This proposed abortion amendment goes too far. There are no limits or common-sense safety standards, no required medical doctors, and moms and dads wouldn’t know if their minor daughter is having an abortion. This is too extreme for Arizona,” she told The Western Journal.

Related:

Abortion Was Leading Cause of Death Worldwide for Fifth Consecutive Year in 2023

“What the other side is trying to do is to expand abortion beyond what most voters support. What we’ve seen that most voters support is 79 percent of voters support limits on abortion, with 69 percent of those being the limit in the first term.

“But this amendment is going to be legalizing late-term abortion. It will be enshrining late-term abortion into our state constitution. And when it is put on the ballot, it is extremely hard to overturn. This is not like passing a regular bill,” she added.

In fact, if it were to pass, an entire to new ballot initiative would be needed to remove it.

The Arizona Republic reported Arizona for Abortion Access must collect 383,923 signatures from state voters by July 3.

“Campaigns seeking to amend the constitution must gather signatures amounting to 15% of votes cast in the state’s most recent gubernatorial election,” according to the Arizona Mirror.

The news outlet added that the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign aims to collect more than 500,000 signatures to ensure a buffer against those names that will be rejected during the voter verification process.

Besides enshrining later-term abortions, the amendment would remove the requirement to have a medical doctor overseeing the abortion, inserting the language “health care professional,” Escobedo noted.

“Under Arizona law that includes dietitians, chiropractors, massage therapists. … It sounds crazy, but that’s how the amendment is written,” she said. 

It Goes Too Far campaign manager Leisa Brug said in a news release, “Arizona abortion laws should protect girls and women, not put them at greater risk, but this amendment asks voters to expand abortion while cutting safety precautions. That makes no sense.”

“The language forbids any laws that could be interpreted as ‘interfering’ in abortion. That means safety precautions designed to avoid complications or save a girl’s life in case of complications, and other reasonable measures would be forbidden and unenforceable,” Brug further explained.

Chris Love, a senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, told The Arizona Republic that It Goes Too Far has launched “a campaign that is already lying to voters in order to deny Arizonans their reproductive freedom.”

The amendment ensures “people have the freedom to decide what is best for their own bodies and lives. The amendment would protect abortion access in our state and keep it regulated the same way as any other medical care,” Love added.

Escobedo also distinguished Arizona from Ohio, where an abortion amendment passed in November.

Ohio had a so-called “heartbeat bill” on the books, which was at least temporarily being blocked by the court system. It made abortion illegal after six weeks, and included no exceptions for rape or incest.

“Arizona is not Ohio,” Escobedo said, pointing to the 15-week abortion limit.

She said of the It Goes Too Far campaign, “We’re reasonable. We want common-sense limits on abortion because that’s what most voters support.”


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal

Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”

Birthplace

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Graduated dean’s list from West Point

Education

United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law

Books Written

We Hold These Truths

Professional Memberships

Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars

Location

Phoenix, Arizona

Languages Spoken

English

Topics of Expertise

Politics, Entertainment, Faith