The Difference of One

The sort-of omnibus life bill:

• Establishes that the laws of Arizona will be interpreted in the context of valuing all human life
• Prohibits abortions on the basis of genetic abnormality, such as Down syndrome
• Clarifies that abortion-inducing drugs may not be distributed through the mail
• Prohibits public institutions from performing abortions or experimenting with aborted human remains
• Calls for the burial or cremation of aborted human remains
• Repeals pre-Roe law that punishes women who get abortions

With the Governor’s signature, Arizona became the sixth state to outlaw discriminatory abortions based on Down syndrome. Our law actually goes further in that it includes other genetic conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, Turner syndrome, dwarfism, Noonan syndrome and more.

Had the AZ Senate or House had one less pro-life lawmaker, this bill would never have made it out of committee. As it was, Republican senators had to draft amendments to address the concerns of friendly legislators because they could not spare one vote.

Flash back to 2019 (the 2020 session was a casualty of COVID) and SB 1457 may very well not have made it to the Governor’s desk.

The numbers were similar, but not the commitment to pro-life, pro-family causes. Two Republican Senators voted against a pro-life bill in 2019 – a bill much less controversial and significant than SB 1457. One of them lost their general election campaign in 2020 to a Democrat, and the other to conservative Senator Nancy Barto, the sponsor of SB 1457. 

Center for Arizona Policy Action worked hard in the 2020 election to educate voters on the candidates and the issues. We supported then candidate Nancy Barto over sitting Senator Heather Carter, who actually twice voted down a program promoting alternatives to abortion.

If we want more victories like this week’s signing of SB 1457, or last week’s signing of pro-adoption bill, SB 1254, we’re going to need more pro-life, pro-family lawmakers in both chambers. We’re also going to need a governor who will sign such bills, as Governor Ducey will term limit out in 2022.

Losing the majority would mean pro-abortion Democrats would chair every committee, which would result in the repeal of pro-life bills, the passage of pro-abortion and anti-family bills, and none of our bills being heard.  

Had the tables been turned this session, these are some of the bills we can expect would have passed:

• SB 1729 would force pharmacists to participate in an abortion even if it violates their conscience or religious beliefs.
• SB 1724, SCR 1012 and other proposed bills would remove commonsense safety regulations on abortions.
• HB 2251 would require comprehensive sex education in public schools, starting in kindergarten.
• HB 2744 would violate religious freedom rights by requiring special protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The full list is extensive, and we could expect even bolder bills proposed if the Democrats had the majority in the House or the Senate.

The session is not over, and several CAP-supported bills remain in process, including educational freedom bills, SB 1452 , SB 1041, and SB 1273, and religious freedom bills, HB 2648 and HB 2575, as well as some budget items. 

We are already preparing for 2022 and that means zeroing in on candidates that will champion pro-life, pro-family, pro-freedom bills and provide a larger majority in both the AZ House and Senate. Stay tuned on how you can get involved! 

A Special Thanks

Our recent CAP Family Dinner featuring former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was an incredible success. We enjoyed an evening with many ministry friends and lawmakers. This year we had the pleasure of having a corporate sponsor. Thank you A&M Mechanical for all of your support!