Guest Author - Candance Gordon
During her six years in the governor’s office, former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano was known for routinely vetoing any bill that limited a woman’s access to abortion. The same can’t be said for her replacement, Jan Brewer, who took office in January after Napolitano was appointed secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As a matter of fact, anti-choice Brewer signed several new laws in mid-July that won’t only make abortions harder to obtain in Arizona, but will also make emergency contraceptives more difficult to come by.
Brewer, who is being praised for her devotion to protecting life by conservative Christian groups, signed a law banning all partial birth abortions with the intention of making the federal ban against partial birth abortion easier to enforce. The legislation she signed will also require parental consent for underage girls seeking an abortion and require a 24-hour waiting period and counseling regarding the probable physical characteristics of the fetus, as well as abortion alternatives for women seeking a procedure. The new laws also make Arizona one of only five states that offer protection to pharmacists and other health care providers that refuse to distribute emergency contraceptives on moral or religious grounds.
These laws are a huge step back for women in Arizona, who, thanks to the dedication of Napolitano, have many laws in place to protect their reproductive rights. For example, Arizona law requires health insurance companies that cover prescription drugs to also cover any FDA approved contraceptive and they may not charge more for these contraceptives than they do for other drugs on the same level, making contraceptives affordable and accessible to women. It also provides access to abortion for low-income women who will face life-threatening complications if they continue a pregnancy or who are pregnant as the result of incest or rape. Also in place is a waiver that gives low-income women access to family planning services for 24 months who lose coverage 60 days postpartum and aren’t eligible for other state services. While some of these laws may not have been enacted while Napolitano was governor, she worked hard and routinely fought the anti-choice House and Senate, to make sure they stayed on the books.
Arizona’s next gubernatorial election is in 2010 and Brewer is expected to seek a full-term. She has plenty of opposition from both fellow Republicans and Democrats, but if she continues on her current anti-choice path, the next year could be a long one for the women of Arizona.
