Arizona Governor Signs Into Law Bills on Abortion, Transgender Issues

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law three bills on Wednesday to restrict abortions, restrict gender reassignment surgeries, and block transgender athletes from participating in female sports.

Ducey signed Senate Bill 1164 (pdf) to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The state legislature passed the bill largely along party lines. The measure contains exceptions for medical emergencies that could cause the woman to die or face “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”

Doctors who carry out abortions beyond 15 weeks face a class 6 felony charge, and if convicted, face a year in prison and lose their license to practice medicine. Meanwhile, women who receive an abortion after 15 weeks may not be prosecuted, according to the bill.

“In Arizona, we know there is immeasurable value in every life—including preborn life,” Ducey said in a letter on Wednesday (pdf). “I believe it is each state’s responsibility to protect them.”… (Excerpt from the Epoch Times)