PHOENIX – U.S. Senator Mark Kelly hopes Arizonans will vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution in November’s general election.
It was her way of fighting back against former President Donald Trump, Kelly told CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” on Wednesday.
He said Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022, had stripped women of a fundamental right.
“Will it now affect who goes to vote? I hope so,” Kelly told CNN. “I think Democrats will vote more.”
However, he acknowledged that a recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling could, in the view of many abortion advocates, persuade voters to reject the measure.
The court’s ruling on Wednesday supported an informational pamphlet that uses the phrase “unborn human being” when referring to an embryo or fetus. Critics of the decision feared the language was politically charged and could sway voters.
Kelly believes that voters in Arizona are not so easily influenced.
“I think the people of Arizona will see through this. They know what’s at stake here,” Kelly said. “They’ll be able to read both sides of this ballot initiative and they’ll understand it very clearly.”
Why will Arizona vote on abortion in November?
Like many other states, Arizona’s abortion laws changed after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Three of the justices who overturned the ruling were appointed by Trump.
“This is having a dramatic and negative impact on women’s health care here,” Kelly said. “I have two daughters and a granddaughter who now have fewer rights than my mother or grandmother.”
Current Arizona abortion law prohibits the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where the mother’s health is at risk, but not in cases of rape or incest.
Proposition 139, also known as the Arizona Abortion Access Act, if passed by voters, would essentially return the state’s abortion laws to the Roe v. Wade standard.
A coalition called Arizona for Abortion Access collected signatures to put the bill on the ballot. The Arizona Secretary of State verified 577,971 signatures this week, nearly 200,000 more than required.
Mark Kelly on the future of voting
“This is a national election, just like my Senate election, the gubernatorial election and the presidential election – they are usually very close,” Kelly said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who Kelly promised to support in making abortion a federal right if she becomes president.
Before President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed his vice president, Harris visited Arizona in June for an event on reproductive rights.
At the state level, Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego is running for a seat in the US Senate. He is an open supporter of abortion rights. His opponent is Republican Trump supporter Kari Lake.
“It’s not just about getting Kamala Harris across the finish line, it’s about Ruben Gallego winning the Senate seat against Kari Lake and getting abortion rights restored,” Kelly said.
