That could come as a surprise to voters.
The next phase of the battle over reproductive rights in Arizona starts Monday, after Gov. Katie Hobbs certifies the November election results.
Hobbs’ signature will give the cue to lawsuits asking courts to overturn the state's existing anti-abortion laws so Prop 139 can take effect. The legal fight could take months or even years.
“In Arizona, nothing is automatic,” Prop 139 spokeswoman Dawn Penich said on this weekend's “Sunday Square Off.”
“Every existing abortion regulation will go in front of Arizona judges. Nothing will fall away automatically. That process of legal challenge is where we will start to see maybe a 15-week ban fall away.”
The state’s existing ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy is expected to be the first legal target. That law provides an exception only to save the life of the mother.
“Abortion, in other words, will be in the headlines in Arizona for a very long time,” Penich said.
Advocates in other states that passed abortion-rights measures are also gearing up for legal fights.
Christine Jones, an attorney and former Republican candidate for Arizona governor, said abortion opponents here will push back against the constitutional amendment itself.
“The anti-abortion, pro-life groups are going to be gearing up their own constitutional amendment," Jones said. "This is not a settled rule.”
Prop 139 — known as the Arizona Abortion Access Act — was approved with 62 percent of the vote.
Organizers turned in a record 800,000 voter signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.
Also on this weekend’s “Sunday Square Off," former Arizona public health director Will Humble explains how Arizonans’ well-being would be affected by President-elect Donald Trump’s picks of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz for top public health roles.
“Sunday Square Off” airs at 8 a.m. Sundays on 12News, after NBC’s “Meet the Press” at 7 a.m.
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Sunday Square Off
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