WASHINGTON – Clinics are open, laws are clearer, and Arizona abortion numbers are at levels a year ago before Supreme Court overturned 50-year law, nullifying constitutional right to abortion is returning to

Things appear to be returning to normal, but abortion providers in Arizona say an “environment of fear” exists.

After a year of uncertainty, staff have retired to other states, making it difficult to schedule abortions. Advocates say some patients go to other states because of restrictions in Arizona.

“An unfortunate side effect of Roe v. Wade’s Ace Attorney is that states like Arizona with very strict regulations are experiencing a brain drain,” said the president and CEO of Family Planning Arizona. said Brittany Fonteno of

“Some nurses and doctors have left the state to go to more friendly environments like California or New York, where they can practice peacefully without fear of prosecution,” Fonteno said Thursday. At a press conference, when discussing the first anniversary, he said.of dobbs vs jackson women’s health.

Supreme Court decision overturned on June 24, 2022 Roe v. Wade case A 1973 court ruling recognizing the constitutional right to abortion. Dobbs’ opinion piece said that abortion was not mentioned in the Constitution and that “it is time to bring the issue of abortion back to the elected representatives of the people.”

Related article

Law’s reversal shocked the nation, and a landmark ruling suddenly released the binding law. As a result, patients, health care providers, and policy makers have scrambled to determine the status of abortion legislation.

Throughout the year, when the ruling was announced, providers had to abruptly stop and restart abortion services.

Abortion was immediately halted in Arizona after Dobbs threatened to give new life to the 2021 “Personality” Act, which gives legal rights to unborn children. Lawsuits had been put on hold because of Lowe, but a federal judge in the case stayed three weeks later on another ground. Judgment of July 11 It was so vague that it would be impossible for providers to do their job without fear of prosecution.

Family Planning waited until late August to resume abortion services at one of its clinics, but Camelback Family Planning began calling patients as soon as the “Personality” Act was blocked, the clinic said. Founder and Medical Director Gabriel Goodrick, Ph.D.

society of family planning report Arizona announced an estimated 230 abortions in July, down 81% from the previous month.

The reopening was short-lived. Sept. 23 in Pima County the judge was lifted Law Era Injunction Act of 1864, An almost blanket ban that has never been removed from the books. Abortion services are outlawed again in Arizona, but Family Planning has appealed the decision.

The Arizona Court of Appeals temporarily stayed the Pima County judgment on Oct. stay permanently said on December 30th 15 week rule The law passed in 2022 is the law currently governing abortion in the state.

Despite the ruling, Dr. Jill Gibson, director of Arizona’s Planned Family Planning Medicine, said many patients are still uncertain whether abortions are legal in Arizona.

“Even those in the know are choosing to drive to California to get abortion services because of all the hardships, all the limitations and restrictions put in front of them just to get access. Because we didn’t have to jump over regulations,” Arizona provides basic abortion services,” Gibson said.

Goodrick helped arrange trips to California for patients to get prescriptions for medical abortions or to book surgical abortions last year when his clinic wasn’t doing abortions. he said. Her clinic still helps women who have exceeded her 15-week limit in Arizona go to other states for abortions.

Prior to Dobbs, Family Planning offered abortions at four of seven health centers in Arizona. Currently, only our Glendale and Tucson offices offer abortions.

Gibson said Flagstaff clinics, which have not offered abortions since Dobbs, cannot resume “offering abortion services . . . due to staff availability.” The Tempe store reopened for abortions for a month last year, but has since been closed for renovations. We plan to reopen at the end of August.

Mr Fonteno said the family planning system “is currently unable to meet people’s immense need for this essential health care”.

“I think what we are seeing is exactly what anti-abortion advocates and politicians have always wanted,” she said. “Even if abortion weren’t outright banned, we know that’s their end goal, but what they want is to make access to this care as difficult as possible. .”

Related article

She points to the two appointment requirements that Arizona had in place before Dobbs, requiring patients to make an appointment for a doctor’s appointment at least 24 hours before having an abortion. Other obstacles include “unnecessary ultrasound examinations, condemned medically inaccurate information given to patients.”

Even with these hurdles, abortion continues in Arizona.

The latest abortion statistics from the Arizona Department of Health are for 2021. However, according to a Planned Parenthood Association report, 1,340 legal abortions were performed in Arizona clinics in March 2023, compared with 1,570 in May 2023. rice field.

Goodrick, who participated in the study, said the reported numbers don’t paint the full picture.
“We are missing self-administered abortions and patients who have traveled to other states for abortions,” she said in an email. “So the relevance is really limited. Most of the Arizona patients were being treated out of state.”

Goodrick said the past year has been traumatic for her and her staff. She believes they are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder due to constant anxiety and fear caused by constant legal and legislative challenges to access to abortion in Arizona.

“I think we certainly had the trauma from last year, but we didn’t realize it until the spring, then it was a relief, then it was just recovery,” said Goodrick. “Now I feel like I’m finally back. It’s been a year.”