'I wouldn't be here at all': Women rally for abortion rights in front of Arizona Capitol
The thought of a rape victim carrying an attacker's baby to term breaks Madison Sanders' heart.
Following the Arizona Supreme Court’s Tuesday decision to uphold a near-total abortion ban, countless voices have emerged to decry the ruling, including Sanders' voice. If it hadn't been for Sanders' abortion, she would have had to carry a pregnancy from rape, she told The Arizona Republic.
In front of the state Capitol on Thursday afternoon, a handful of women shared how their abortions guaranteed them the opportunity to continue their educations and their lives.
The speakers shared their experiences following chants and speeches before a crowd of nearly 50 people at an abortion rights rally held by the Party for Socialism and Liberation's Phoenix chapter in response to the Tuesday ruling.
The 4-2 decision backed a pre-statehood law from 1864 that would prohibit and criminalize all abortions, with the exception of an abortion performed only when necessary to save the mother's life. It's unclear what life-threatening circumstances would allow for a legal abortion; the law does not give an exact definition, nor does it make any exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
Sanders, a Phoenix cosmetologist, said she obtained an abortion a few years ago after being raped and becoming pregnant.
“It breaks my heart to think about the other women and people that will not be afforded that same access and will be suffered to carry their rapist’s babies. That's the most heartbreaking thing of all time.”
Sanders said she attended the rally to stand not only for victims of abuse but also for all women who would need an abortion for any reason.
“I think that the person next to me has just the same right to an abortion, even if they weren't raped, even if it's just not the right time for them.”
Original wording: What does Arizona's 1864 abortion rule state? Read the text of the law
Party for Socialism and Liberation organizer and teacher Alexia Isais is graduating with a master's degree in secondary education from Arizona State University, but if she had not gotten an abortion in December 2021, she said, "I wouldn't be here at all."
"I would be at home with a kid that I wasn't prepared for. I'd be restrained. I would not be half as happy as I am now, given my life situation, currently. It's a very exciting thing to get your education and live your life how you want it," Isais said.
Although she said it was a traumatizing experience, she “had comfort knowing that this was here for me and that I didn't have a lifetime ahead of unpreparedness.”
As of last week, abortion rights groups have obtained enough signatures to put a resolution on the November ballot that could solidify abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution.
The Arizona Supreme Court stayed enforcement of the abortion ban for 14 days to allow for legal challenges. After two weeks, Alliance Defending Freedom, which won the case before the state's top court, said the ban could begin being enforced. However, some opponents and providers, like Planned Parenthood, said abortion services would continue through May due to a Maricopa County Superior Court order barring enforcement of the ban for 45 days after the Supreme Court’s ruling becomes final.
More about it: Arizona banned abortion. Here's where it is legal in the United States
It's still unclear how exactly the law will be enforced. Last year, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order giving all power to enforce abortion laws to the state attorney general. Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, vowed Tuesday not to enforce any abortion bans, but both decisions could be challenged by any county attorney.
Until the ban goes into effect, abortion is still legal in Arizona until 15 weeks of pregnancy.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Women share stories of opportunity at Phoenix abortion rights rally
