The Supreme Court of the US state of Arizona (southwest) has ruled that a fetus will be referred to as an “unborn human being” on ballots in a referendum on abortion rights scheduled for November, according to a decision made public Thursday.
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Abortion rights are a central issue in the November 5 presidential campaign between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, especially since its federal protection was shattered in June 2022 by a historic decision by the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority.
Arizona, with a Republican-majority parliament and a Democratic governor, is one of the swing states likely to swing the presidential election: Joe Biden beat Donald Trump there by just 10,000 votes in 2020.
The local referendum on November 5 could allow women to have an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, compared to the current 15. There would also be exceptions to “protect the life or physical or mental health” of the pregnant woman.
But it was the choice of words used by the Republican parliamentary majority that attracted the attention of the American press, including Washington Post, who revealed the information on Wednesday evening.
Instead of deciding on the rights of “fetuses,” voters will be asked whether they are for or against abortions for women carrying “unborn human beings.” The local Supreme Court has approved.
The Arizona Senate voted on May 1er May the repeal of an 1864 law banning virtually all abortions, which the state Supreme Court ruled was enforceable in early April.
The repeal of this text, which banned all abortions from the moment of conception, except if the mother’s life is in danger, was voted on by a majority of two votes and was to be promulgated by the Democratic governor Katie Hobbs, who said she was “happy”.
In contrast, in Iowa (north), a law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy came into force at the end of July, further extending the list of around twenty American states that have banned or severely restricted this right.
“This is a victory for life,” Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said.
Other states including Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota are expected to vote on abortion rights in November.
