Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill requiring abortion providers to tell women they can reverse the effects of a drug-induced abortion.(Photo: Michael Schennum/The Republic)
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed into law legislation that
requires physicians to tell women they can potentially reverse the effects of medication-induced abortions.
Senate Bill 1318 also bars insurance companies from providing abortion services to women who get medical coverage through the federal health-care exchange, with exceptions for victims of rape and incest.
In a statement, Ducey, who is Catholic, said the legislation "protects Arizona taxpayers" by ensuring public funds are "not used to subsidize abortions."
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"The American people overwhelmingly oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, and it's no different in Arizona, where we have long-standing policy against subsidizing them with public dollars," Ducey's statement said. "This legislation provides clarity to state law."
With Ducey's signature, the legislation was a win for the conservative Center for Arizona Policy, which has made the bill one of its key issues for the 2015 session. The powerful group, led by Ducey campaign supporter and lobbyist Cathi Herrod, has worked over the years to restrict abortions.
CAP tweeted a photo of Ducey signing the legislation. Herrod told
The Arizona Republic that CAP was provided with the photo of Ducey signing the legislation by someone who was in the room.
In signing the bill, Herrod said Ducey made good on his "pro-life" stance. She said it is "a good day for Arizona women when the law ensures women" are told such medication-induced abortions may be reversible.
Bill opponents have said science does not support the claim that drug-induced abortions can be reversed.
"Throughout his campaign, Gov. Ducey said that he was proudly pro-life," Herrod said. "Gov Ducey is a man of his word. He never shied or backed away from being pro-life, so it's no surprise he would sign pro-life legislation."
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Under the Affordable Care Act, states are permitted to buy optional abortion coverage. Women now pay a small extra fee for the coverage, but abortion opponents say the fee isn't enough to pay the actual cost. Advocates for abortion rights dispute that.
About 75% of the more than 200,000 Arizona residents who bought insurance policies on the marketplace get a subsidy, according to the latest federal statistics. There's no breakdown by age or sex, but even those women who don't take subsidies will not be able to get abortion coverage when the bill becomes law.
The legislation does contain an exception allowing insurance in cases of rape, incest and when a woman's life is endangered.
Shortly after Ducey signed the bill, Planned Parenthood released a statement condemning the governor's actions.
"Instead of delivering on his campaign promises to reduce the negative stigma our state has taken on because of extreme and out-of-touch politics, Gov. Ducey has put Arizona once again in the national spotlight for interfering in the medical decisions of women," the organization's president, Bryan Howard, said in the statement.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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