Arizona
Arizona governor's signing of abortion law repeal follows political fight by women lawmakers
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure that the 19th century law remains in the past.
Current and former state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside Hobbs’ office Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. Some wept.
“It’s a historic moment, and it’s a place and time where thrilling moments all come together,” Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton said during the signing ceremony. “It’s a time where we are doing away with what is in the past that doesn’t fit the present.”
Stahl and Sen. Anna Hernandez, also a Democrat, were the two current lawmakers chosen to speak at the ceremony for their efforts to ensure repeal of the long-dormant law that bans all abortions except those done to save a patient’s life.
The effort won final legislative approval Wednesday in a 16-14 Senate vote, as two GOP lawmakers joined with Democrats during a session of some three hours where motivations for votes were described in personal, emotional and even biblical terms. There were graphic descriptions of abortion procedures and amplified audio of a fetal heartbeat, along with warnings against “legislating religious beliefs.”
Abortion-ban advocates in the Senate gallery jeered state Republican state Sen. Shawnna Bolick as she explained her vote in favor of repeal, then she was scolded by GOP colleagues. Bolick is married to state Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, who voted with the majority in April to reinstate the 1864 law. He faces a retention election in November.
The House previously approved the repeal, with three Republicans in that chamber breaking ranks.
Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. The repeal is set to take effect 90 days after legislative session ends, which typically is June or July once the budget is approved.
“This means everything to get this archaic, inhumane territorial law off the books,” said Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick, founder of Phoenix-based Camelback Family Planning, which performs a third of abortions in Arizona.
A 2022 statute banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy then will become Arizona’s prevailing abortion law.
Abortion rights advocates, led by Planned Parenthood Arizona, have filed a motion with the state Supreme Court to prevent the 1846 law from taking hold before the repeal does. If it’s rejected, girls and women could see a pause in abortion services.
The 19th century law had been blocked in Arizona since 1973 with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide. When the federal law was overturned in 2022, it left Arizona’s in legal limbo.
The Arizona Supreme Court last month took the state back decades and reinstated the ban that provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. The justices suggested doctors could be prosecuted for violating the law, with a maximum five-year prison sentence if convicted.
The anti-abortion group defending the ban, Alliance Defending Freedom, maintains county prosecutors can begin enforcing it once the Supreme Court’s decision becomes final, which hasn’t yet occurred. Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is making a push to delay the enforcement of the ban until sometime in late July.
Meanwhile, abortion-rights advocates are collecting signatures to enshrine reproductive rights in Arizona’s constitution. A proposed ballot measure would allow abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with exceptions to save the parent’s life or to protect her physical or mental health.
Republican lawmakers are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals before voters in November.
In other parts of the U.S. this week, supporters of a South Dakota abortion rights initiative submitted far more signatures than required to make the ballot this fall, while in Florida a ban took effect against most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people even know they are pregnant.
President Joe Biden’s campaign team believes anger over the fall of Roe v. Wade will give them a political advantage in battleground states like Arizona, while the issue has divided Republican leaders.
For the Democratic women who led the effort on the repeal in Arizona, Thursday was celebratory moment but also showed there’s more work to be done, they said.
In an interview before the signing ceremony, Stahl Hamilton talked about her early years on the Navajo Nation where her parents were school teachers and where federally funded clinics still limit abortion services.
She talked about a sister-in-law who she said struggled with two difficult pregnancies, one that resulted in a stillbirth and a nonviable one in which “they had to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate that pregnancy, because there was no brain development.”
“And I imagine that had any of these laws been in place during the time when she was needing care, it really would have wreaked havoc,” Stahl Hamilton said.
When the Civil War-era ban was passed, all the 27 lawmakers were men, America was at war over the right to own slaves and women couldn’t vote, Hobbs said. Now, the Arizona Legislature is roughly evenly divided between men and women.
Hernandez became involved in politics after her younger brother, Alejandro, was killed in a police shooting in April 2019. She and her two other siblings have tattoos with his portrait on their left arms.
Her sister is a nurse in labor and delivery, and she has two nieces, aged 16 and 12, she said.
“In this moment, I think of them being able to grow up in the state that we love so much, having the rights that they have,” she said.
Former Democratic state Rep. Athena Salman was so overcome with emotion Thursday that she could barely speak when she was called to the lectern at the signing ceremony. She proposed a repeal of the 19th century law in 2019, three years before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Salman, who resigned in January to lead an abortion rights group, said she can’t stop thinking about her daughters.
“Future generations will not have to live under the restrictions and the interference that we have had to experience,” she said.
Arizona
High-upside three-star CB commits to Arizona over Washington football
The Washington Huskies saw one of their few remaining uncommitted targets in the 2027 class go elsewhere on Thursday afternoon when three-star cornerback Evan Mack announced his commitment to Jedd Fisch’s former program, the Arizona Wildcats.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound product of Crean Lutheran High School in Southern California chose coach Brent Brennan’s team out of a final three that also included the Huskies and Arizona State, after official visits to all three programs.
After taking an unofficial visit to Seattle for spring practice in April, Mack took his first official visit, a trip to Arizona State, on May 1. Then, he returned to Montlake on June 5, before wrapping things up in Tucson on June 19, which made enough of an impact for the Wildcats to win the battle for his services.
As a junior, the nation’s No. 613 overall prospect and No. 64 cornerback, according to the 247Sports Composite, tallied 49 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions, while showcasing the promising athleticism and ball skills that secondary coach John Richardson is looking for on the outside.
If he were to have chosen the Huskies, Mack, who has plenty of room to add weight to his frame for the physicality of the Big Ten, would’ve had a long route to the field. Behind projected starters Dylan Robinson and Emmanuel Karnley, who both have eligibility to return in 2027, Washington’s coaching staff is expecting a contribution from four-star freshman Rahsjon Duncan on the outside, while his classmate Jeron Jones and sophomore Elias Johnson both stood out during spring practice.
The Huskies currently have one commit at cornerback in three-star Maurice Williams; however, the Huskies also hold several projections to reel in coveted four-star IMG Academy product Censere Gaylord.
Arizona
Arizona Chamber installs Monica Coury as board chair – Chamber Business News
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry has installed Monica Coury, vice president of external affairs at Arizona Complete Health, as chair of its board of directors, as the organization begins its new fiscal year.
Coury officially assumed the chairmanship during a ceremonial passing of the gavel at the Chamber’s June 26 board meeting. She succeeds Ted Geisler, president and CEO of APS, who served as board chair over the past two years.
As chair, Coury will lead the Chamber’s board while helping guide the organization’s efforts to advance policies that strengthen Arizona’s economy, improve the state’s business climate, and promote long-term prosperity.
“It is an incredible honor to serve as chair of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry,” Coury said. “I want to thank my fellow board members for the confidence they’ve placed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the Chamber’s outstanding team. The Chamber has long been one of Arizona’s most effective and respected advocates on behalf of the state’s job creators, and I look forward to building on that legacy as we continue working to make Arizona the best place in the nation to live, work, and do business.”
Coury has served on the Chamber’s board for several years. She previously chaired the Public Affairs Committee and most recently served as chair-elect. In her role at Arizona Complete Health, she oversees one of the state’s leading health plans and has been a prominent voice on issues involving healthcare access, workforce development, and Arizona’s economic competitiveness.
“Monica is an exceptional leader whose collaborative approach, strategic vision, and deep commitment to Arizona make her the ideal person to lead our board,” said Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “She understands that a strong economy depends on smart public policy, and she has consistently brought thoughtful leadership and sound judgment to the Chamber. I look forward to working closely with Monica as we continue advancing policies that help Arizona employers create jobs, invest, and grow.”
Seiden also thanked Geisler for his leadership during a period that included significant legislative successes and continued growth for the Chamber.
“Ted has been an outstanding chairman, a trusted partner, and a friend,” Seiden said. “His steady leadership, business acumen, and unwavering commitment to Arizona’s economic future have helped position the Chamber for continued success. We are grateful for his service and look forward to his continued counsel and involvement on our board.”
The Chamber also installed the following governing board officers:
- Chair-elect: Jimmy Lindblom, Willmeng Construction
- Vice-chair, audit & finance: Don Isaacson, Isaacson Law Firm
- Vice-chair, manufacturing: Angela Creedon, Intel
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry is Arizona’s leading statewide business advocacy organization, representing employers of every size and industry across the state. The Chamber’s mission is to advance Arizona’s competitiveness through policies that foster economic growth, job creation, and opportunity for all Arizonans.
Arizona
Records: Toddler found alive in hospital morgue after being pronounced dead by Arizona doctor
GILBERT, AZ — An Arizona toddler was found breathing inside a Gilbert hospital morgue after being declared dead hours earlier by an Arizona doctor, according to police records.
A police report and body camera video reviewed by the ABC15 Investigators show that two Gilbert police officers saw signs of life multiple times, but the toddler was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room,” which is also considered to be the morgue.
One officer wrote in the police report that the baby was pronounced dead “in error” by the Mercy Gilbert doctor even after a tense exchange about a pulse possibly being detected.
The 18-month-old was rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after he was found inside the family’s pool on Super Bowl Sunday in February.
It has taken months for the Gilbert police to release public records related to the near-drowning.
The ABC15 Investigators reviewed a half dozen body camera videos, including videos from the initial drowning scene and videos inside the hospital. Most of the videos are heavily blurred, and most of the audio has been muted, but one critical moment was captured between the doctor and the officer.
According to the police report, the officer wrote that a nurse in another room said: “I have a pulse.”
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com
The officer wrote that when he tried to alert the doctor who was with the family in another room, the doctor appeared to dismiss the concerns, “[The doctor] arrogantly told me he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing.”
Records show that shortly after that exchange, the doctor went on to declare the baby dead.
Over the next hour, two Gilbert police officers continued to document signs of life in their police report.
One officer wrote, “The release of air was audible and visible,” later writing, “It also began to sound like [redacted] was gasping for air.”
The report goes on to say that when medical staff went to move the boy’s body to the morgue, the officer wrote that she “observed what appeared to be another audible gasp.”
That was not the last time she heard signs of life, either.
While inside the morgue, the officer said, “I again observed what appeared to be a gasp or air release, which was now almost an hour later.”
A nurse who was there said those sounds could be a response to efforts to save the toddler.
Some of the last audio recordings heard on the body camera videos were of an officer telling the family that they could say goodbye.
The report says, hours later, at 11:52 p.m., the Medical Examiner’s transport showed up and found the toddler was breathing inside the hospital morgue. He was then flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment.
An MRI said that the baby had brain damage, and we are told he will need lifelong care.
An attorney representing the family declined to comment.
Mercy Gilbert said in a statement, “This is a heartbreaking situation. We immediately conducted a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided to learn what happened and to make meaningful changes to strengthen our care. Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot discuss details. We continue to work with the family and their representative. Patient safety and exceptional care is our highest priority.”
HAVE A TIP? Email Investigator Nicole Grigg at nicole.grigg@abc15.com.
-
Los Angeles, Ca55 minutes agoBoy, 17, with autism accused in murder of 4-month-old girl at Claremont daycare
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoBrief rally not enough for Tigers vs Rangers as win streak ends at 3
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoCrash on freeway in Millbrae leaves driver dead after reportedly overturning multiple times, CHP says
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoPaige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd do the usual in Hartford, win. This time with Dallas Wings
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoWorld Cup-inspired art exhibit transforms Miami’s Wynwood with interactive soccer experience
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoStairlift brings relief to residents stuck in building with broken elevator
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoFree agent point guard Tyus Jones re-signs with the Denver Nuggets – Denver Stiffs
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoHusky Recruit To Move From Seattle to Florida For High School Ball