Maricopa County Attorney candidate says she won’t enforce new abortion bill

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- The only Democratic candidate running for Maricopa County Attorney said Tuesday that if elected, she would not enforce the new restrictive abortion bill that sits on the governor’s desk.

“No, I would not enforce that law, no, not now, not ever, nobody should be criminalized for reproductive healthcare choices, including abortion,” said Julie Gunnigle (D).

The bill, which still needs the governor’s signature to become law, restricts nearly all abortions after 15 weeks except in cases of a medical emergency. Exemptions for rape and incest, which Gov. Doug Ducey has said he supports in the past, are not included in the bill that the Republican-controlled Legislature passed last week.

Under the current rules, abortion was legal until the point a fetus can survive outside the womb, which is usually around 24 weeks. The Associated Press previously reported that of the 13,186 abortions performed in Arizona in 2020, 636 were after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to the latest data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Arizona joins other Republican states in moving to restrict abortion rights.

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