ARIZONA, USA — The City of Phoenix has been grappling with how to handle Arizona's new abortion ban and how police should respond to abortion crimes.
The new ban prompts many questions, including how much a city can enforce it.
The Phoenix City Council voted 6-2 on Tuesday in favor of a resolution that opposes the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion and Arizona’s new abortion law.
The resolution makes several declarations, including:
- The right of pregnant persons to full reproductive healthcare access, including abortions
- Opposes Arizona abortion law
- Directs city manager to take steps to deprioritize police enforcement
Council members Sal Diciccio and Jim Waring voted against the resolution.
As 12News has reported, the Phoenix police chief issued a memo earlier this month telling 911 dispatchers not to send officers to calls in which someone reports an illegal abortion. The call is supposed to be documented for a supervisor to be investigated later.
More than a dozen citizens showed up at the hearing to voice their opposition and support of the measure.
The council’s vote results from the political fallout of such a hot-button issue.
As the city’s attorney explained during Tuesday's hearing, the state technically cannot force a city to enforce a law. The police chief can prioritize enforcement based on many factors, such as available resources.
There was also discussion of whether the city could create an abortion fund to help pay for citizens to travel out of state to obtain an abortion.
The attorney for the city made it clear the city could be held criminally liable for such a fund.
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