Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Signs Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions, Helping Women

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jul 14, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Signs Pro-Life Bills Limiting Abortions, Helping Women

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 14
, 2009

Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law a package of pro-life bills that would limit abortions by banning the partial-birth abortion procedure, helping women and teens, and protecting pro-life health care workers. Brewer’s signature is a change from the days when ex-Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed all pro-life bills.

The first measure Brew signed, HB 2400, creates a state ban on partial birth abortions so local prosecutors can make sure the federal partial-birth abortion ban can be better enforced.

The second bill, HB 2564, would protect women, parents, children, and the civil rights of health care providers.

That legislation calls for informed consent before abortions along with a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent requirements, a prohibition on non-doctors doing surgical abortions, and of conscience for all health care providers, including pharmacists, on abortion and abortion drugs.

Brewer also signed SB 1175, a bill to ban non-physicians from doing abortions in the state — important because a nurse at Planned Parenthood has been putting women’s health at risk by doing surgical abortions.

On bioethics issues, Brewer also signed into law HB 2616, legislation called Jesse’s Law, Part 2, that would protect patients who are unable to communicate their wishes by modifying Arizona’s laws governing when food and fluid can be withdrawn.

Cathi Herrod, president of the pro-life Center for Arizona Policy, applauded the governor, saying, "Governor Brewer’s signatures today move Arizona in the right direction."

"For the last thirteen years, CAP has advocated for a woman’s right to know abortion law to be passed. Today, that legislation became a reality," she added.

"The Abortion Consent Act gives women considering an abortion the right to receive information about the risks and alternatives to abortion, facts of fetal development, and a reflection period of 24 hours to consider her critical life decision. This new law also makes needed changes to Arizona’s parental consent and rights of conscience laws," Herrod explained.

Ron Johnson of the Arizona Catholic Conference also applauded the governor.

"The Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) is especially grateful that Governor Brewer has now signed into law the [pro-life bills]," he told LifeNews.com. "This bill will help parents, women, children, and health care providers."

Johnson also thanked the governor for signing a bill that would help pregnancy centers.

In an effort to help faith based charities and crisis pregnancy centers struggling to meet increasing demands for services during a time of shrinking resources, his group initiated a bill (HB 2286) to streamline the charitable organization tax credit for nonprofit organizations that primarily serve low-income and disadvantaged people.

He praised the partial-birth abortion ban saying it would "give local prosecutors the ability to make sure this horrific procedure never happens in Arizona."

Bryan Howard, the president of Planned Parenthood of Arizona, disagreed and said the abortion limits "create barriers, increases costs and denies access to services and providers to women who seek abortion care."

ACTION: Contact Governor Brewer at (602) 542-4331 or (800) 253-0883 or email her at [email protected] and thank her for signing these pro-life bills into law.

Related web sites:
Arizona Right to Life – https://www.azrtl.org
Arizona Legislature – https://www.azleg.gov
Arizona Catholic Conference – https://www.azcatholicconference.org
Center for Arizona Policy – https://www.azpolicy.org

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