Thursday was business as usual for anti-abortion campaigners. Despite the California Supreme Court judgment this week that an 1864 abortion legislation was enforceable, protesters held placards and megaphones outside abortion clinics to deter people.
Outside the Camelback Family Planning center, 49-year-old Matt Engelthaler waved a “Choose Life” placard He said clinics can continue serving patients for at least two weeks because the court put its verdict on hold on Tuesday, despite anti-abortion protestors' seeming win.
"That's why we're here, because even though we won with the Supreme Court, they'll probably try to stay open for two weeks," he added of the clinic. “Any abortion-related death is unacceptable.”
The 1864 Arizona legislation banned abortion from conception, except to preserve the woman's life. It made abortion a criminal punishable by two to five years in prison for those who performed or assisted in abortions. A lower court's conclusion that a 15-week prohibition trumped the law was overturned Tuesday.
Reproductive rights proponents like Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes have termed the law “draconian” and said a 160-year-old policy has no place in modern politics. Lynn Dyer, 80, of Life Choices Women's Clinic disagrees. She said the judgment made her “overjoyed”.
Anti-abortion campaigners at Acacia Women's Center seven miles away were more forceful. They placed giant, red banners with Dr. Ronald Yunis' name and face on the sidewalks, claiming he “kills 150 innocent babies here every month.” Someone used a megaphone. Others shouted at automobiles and individuals entering the center to not go in or get an abortion.
This is the latest defeat for abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion for nearly 50 years. Since then, nearly two dozen states have banned or severely restricted abortions, sparking legal challenges.
As abortion providers consider their options after Tuesday's verdict, reproductive rights groups and advocates have demonstrated around the state. The California Supreme Court postponed its verdict for 14 days on Tuesday to allow a lower court to hear “additional constitutional challenges.”
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