Gov. Katie Hobbs added her signature to the petition that wants to put an abortion rights measure before Arizona voters in 2024.
Hobbs said at a news conference Tuesday that Arizonans “need to understand exactly what’s at stake when pregnant women can’t get the health care they need.”
Abortion rights advocates need to collect nearly 400,000 signatures by July to get the issue on the 2024 ballot. If that happens, voters will then decide whether the right to an abortion should be enshrined in the Arizona constitution.
Abortion is currently legal up to 15 weeks' gestation in the state, but a case before the Arizona Supreme Court could lead to further restrictions. That law would bar doctors from performing abortions in all cases, except for when a patient’s life is in danger.
The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case next month.