Arizona’s abortion ban is likely to cause a scramble for services in states where it’s still legal

By LAURA UNGAR and DEVI SHASTRI
Associated Press

Doctors and clinic leaders say there’ll be a scramble across the Southwest and West for abortion care. The Arizona Supreme Court said this week officials may enforce an 1864 law criminalizing abortion except when a woman’s life is at stake. The Guttmacher Institute says interstate travel for abortions more than doubled between 2020 and 2023. Organizations that help fund abortions say traveling could lead to appointments later in a pregnancy and could be a financial burden. Arizona is home to more than 20 federally recognized tribes, and there’s already a decades-old ban on most abortions at clinics and hospitals run by the federal Indian Health Service.