PHOENIX — In the wake of reports of the leaked Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling draft, some political leaders in Arizona, a state where a 15-week abortion ban was signed into law, are expressing their opposition to the potential ruling.
On Monday, a leaked draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggested that earlier this year, a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide.
While it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter, Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion. He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”
“Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case," he said in a statement. “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”
'Endangers the health and wellbeing of women'
Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema said in a statement that she'll "continue working with anyone to protect women’s ability to make decisions about their futures."
Sinema, who is a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, said she's always used her time in Congress to support women’s access to health care.
"A woman’s health care choices should be between her, her family, and her doctor. Overturning Roe v. Wade endangers the health and wellbeing of women in Arizona and across America.
"Protections in the Senate safeguarding against the erosion of women’s access to health care have been used half-a-dozen times in the past ten years, and are more important now than ever," Sinema said in a statement.
'Enormous step backwards'
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly condemned the draft, saying he'll do everything in his power to protect women's rights.
"If this draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe is true, it’s an enormous step backwards for our country," Kelly said in a tweet. "Women should have the right to make their own choices about abortion and when to start a family."
'Incredibly grateful'
In contrast to others in Arizona's congressional delegation, former Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon expressed gratitude for the opinions behind the draft, stating that pro-life issues were a strong motivator in his political career.
"The pro-life issue is the reason I first got involved in politics as a young man. I didn't know much, but I knew that the Republican Party believed in life," Salmon said in a statement.
"The opinion being circulated is marked as a 'draft' for a reason. However, if this draft opinion is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court appears primed to save countless babies' lives by delivering what pro-life Americans have been dreaming about for decades—and I am incredibly grateful.
"I have spent my career advocating for strong families and pro-life policies, and I promise to continue that vitally important tradition as Arizona's next governor," he said.
'Continue to fight even harder'
Progress Arizona, a non-profit that pushes for progressive policies, released a statement saying the extreme beliefs of those in support of overturning Roe v. Wade do not represent the values of the majority of Arizonans.
“76% of Arizonans believe that abortion should be legal. The extremists who have pushed to overturn Roe v. Wade have done so in order to pander to the most radical portions of their political base... Our state deserves so much better," said Progress Arizona deputy director Jenny Guzman.
"Although the end of abortion as a constitutionally protected right is something that many have expected, that doesn't make the pain any less real. No matter what, though, we will continue to fight even harder for people in Arizona to have abortion access, resources and education, and for our democracy to ensure people have the ability to vote against those pushing this extreme anti-abortion narrative. This fight isn't going anywhere."
Arizona Politics
Track all of our current updates with Arizona politics on our 12 News YouTube channel. Subscribe for updates on all of our new uploads.