With early ballots beginning to arrive, nearly 100 people rallied in Flagstaff yesterday in support of Proposition 139.
If approved, the statewide ballot measure would enshrine the right to an abortion in Arizona’s constitution.
Outside Flagstaff City Hall, local writer Nicole Walker was one of several who shared their experiences. She told the crowd she had an abortion when she was 11 years old after she was molested by her babysitter. Abortion was legal at the time.
Walker says voting for Proposition 139 feels like taking back control of her life and body.
“I get to shape my future, my daughter's future, her friend's future, the people I know who want to make decisions about their body that the government is trying to limit. I feel like I'm saying yes — not just to me, but to people, bodies everywhere," Walker said.
Walker has been sharing her story since 2022, when Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and earlier this year, when access to abortion was threatened in Arizona by a near-total ban which was later repealed.
Current state law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The proposed amendment would codify the right to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which is about 24 weeks. It would also restrict the state from prohibiting access to the procedure.
Opponents of the measure say it goes too far.
