May 3, 2024
It’s been a whirlwind of on-the-ground activism lasting weeks in Arizona since the state Supreme Court ruled that a law in place before Roe v. Wade wiped out all protections of mother and preborn baby could once again get to work. The abortion lobby went ballistic, applying intense protection to stop those humane protections. And now, that law has been repealed after passing in the state Senate and signed into effect by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, fulfilling a promise she made on the campaign trail to protect, in her misguided words, “reproductive freedom.” Sadly, that freedom doesn’t extend to infants in the womb, in her book.
The pro-abortion Democrats were able to pull this off only with the help of a few Republicans in both chambers, who turned their backs on the human rights issue of the preborn. As a result, now more than 9 in 10 abortions can occur under Arizona’s late term limit at about 4 months of pregnancy (15-weeks) law, which takes effect by default with the absence of the pre-Roe protections.
Despite that abortion lobby still wants even more abortion, which they will get if their November ballot initiative push is successful. If chosen by voters, the measure would allow for abortion at any point around five and half months of pregnancy.
READ: Abortion IS on the Ballot: The Top Pro-Life Ballot Initiatives for 2024
All that in just under a month – that’s how fast the momentum can shift and it’s why grassroots activism like that carried out by Students for Life Action (SFLAction) and our sister organization Students for Life of America (SFLA) is so critical.
The fight to stop this outcome has been ongoing since earlier this year and we have been on the ground every step of the way so far. Whether it was rallying support for pro-life laws, standing against the pro-abortion lobby, and calling out state and federal leaders alike, The Pro-Life Generation fought hard to defend preborn lives in Arizona. And we will keep fighting through election day in November.
Below is a full recap our recent grassroots work in Arizona in 2024, and the path that led to the repeal decision this week:
In the months leading up to the State Supreme Court decision, SFLAction has been engaging with other pro-life and pro-family groups and educating voters, legislators, and opponents alike. This grassroots campaign garnered some nice media attention in Politico as well. A separate door knocking event in late April was covered by the New York Times.
Not long after the State Supreme Court handed down their verdict, SFLAction jumped into action, preparing for the long-anticipated fight. At the time, our Vice President of Political Affairs Chanel Prunier called the decision “a fantastic, but possibly temporary win for preborn babies and mothers – the real fight remains on the horizon in November when unlimited abortion will be on the ballot.”
Naturally, the Biden Administration’s chief apologist, Vice President Kamala Harris, decided to step away from not doing anything useful on the border or domestic policy, to weigh in on the state law. As is often the case, SFLAction was there to greet her, rallying at the event where she stopped – and various outlets from the local media were there to watch us work.
Shortly after, SFLAction got word that the Arizona House of Representatives was going to push repeal legislation through, risking passage in the narrowly divided legislature.
In response, we launched an advocacy program of calls, text messages, and door knocking to let pro-life voters know what was transpiring and assist them with making their voicebs heard to their elected officials.
We also deployed to the State Capitol, rallying and demanding that House Republican leaders hold the line, because the passage could only happen if their members broke ranks.
READ: This Week: Students for Life Action Calls on Legislators to Defend Pro-Life Protections
This first attempt was defeated – and we wrote at the time how this assault on the rulings of courts is the latest attempt by the pro-abortion lobby to treat the laws of the land like a Lego set – torn down and built up to suit whatever they want.
Not even a week passed when the Democrats tried again to shoehorn passage of the law. A third attempt was made on April 24, and just like before SFLAction deployed to head this pro-abortion power grab off at the pass. We launched a new salvo of advocacy calls, text messages, and outreach at churches and at doors, asking pro-life voters to get in touch with key legislators who could make the difference in a close vote.
Sadly, the third vote was successful, thanks to three Republican legislators who betrayed the Pro-Life Generation and who will face opposition during their next primary season: Representatives Matt Gress, Justin Wilmeth, and Tim Dunn. Consequently, the repeal vote headed to the Senate.
And a week later, on May 1st, the Arizona Senate passed the repeal, sending the law to the Governor’s desk, where she signed it.
When it was all said and done, SFLAction and SFLA:
- Sent 614,564 texts
- Made more than 131,526 calls into the districts of key legislators
- Distributed more than 1,800 flyers at homes and churches.
And as we have said before, this fight didn’t end with the flourish of the Governors pen. This November abortion will be on the ballot and the Pro-Life Generation will be there to fight back and ensure that life wins when the chips are down on election day.
Nationwide, abortion is on the ballot in multiple states and SFLAction supports multiple “Decline to Sign” campaigns against the signature collection efforts. These signature and ballot campaigns are often intentionally confusing and are a favored tool of pro-abortion groups as a Get-Out-The-Vote effort for a faltering Biden-Harris campaign.
TO SEE WHERE ELSE ABORTION IS ON THE BALLOT IN 2024, CLICK HERE.
SFLAction will be mobilizing a powerful pivot point in the many close elections – the Youth Vote – now more than one-third of the electorate.
LEARN MORE HERE: SFLA’s Secret Weapon: THE YOUTH VOTE Recruiting, Training, & Activating Pivotal Voters in Tight Races Nationwide
