"A pro-abortion group has filed a lawsuit to remove [the phrase] 'unborn human person' from the language of the ballot initiative, which, if this gets on the ballot, will be published in November," explains Jill Norgaard of Arizona Right to Life. "The reason I believe that they are doing this is to desensitize people from the actual initiative, which is abortion up until birth."
Arizona for Abortion Access filed the lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court. They're asking a judge to refuse to allow the language, which was favored by a Republican-led legislative group for the initiative summary. According to The Associated Press, the summary will appear on a pamphlet voters can use to decide how to cast their ballots.
"This initiative goes too far," Norgaard continues. "Abortion up until birth and then making it a fundamental right that is enshrined in our state constitution will thereby make it eligible for taxpayer funding."
Norgaard adds that the initiative also states that "any health care professional" can perform an abortion – something she considers to be intentional and extremely vague.
"[The phrase] 'any health care professional' eliminates 'people who have hospital privileges,' which is what the current law is now; and a health care professional could be anyone who works in an office," says Norgaard. "It could be a dentist, an optometrist – it is extremely vague. And Arizona's laws now allow abortions up until 15 weeks and this initiative will allow abortions up until 40 weeks."
Norgaard is also concerned with a lack of protection for minors. Right now, Arizona has a 24-hour waiting period with parental consent. Norgaard says abortion supporters want to eliminate any waiting period and eliminate parental consent. Based on that, Norgaard warns that sex traffickers, child predators, molesters, etc., can take a child to get an abortion during school hours and their parents would have no idea that this is happening.
Norgaard asks for prayer over this situation. "We also are raising money because we are going to challenge the signatures that have been turned in to the Secretary of State," she concludes.
