O'Halleran Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Decision

Press Release

Today, following the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, effectively overturning the protections guaranteed under the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) released the following statement:

"Today, I am furious, disappointed, crestfallen. This decision goes back on half a century of legal precedent; it is a mammoth setback for women, families, and our entire nation. My 16-year-old granddaughter will now have fewer rights than my wife had in the 1970s.

"I firmly support a woman's right to choose and believe that health care decisions should lie solely between a woman and her doctor. Now, that right and that privacy can be taken away.

"From the time the draft decision was leaked, the Senate had over a month to take up and pass our Women's Health Protection Act, which would have codified the federal protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade into law. They failed to do so."

Arizona has a retroactive abortion ban, meaning that a pre-1973 law banning abortion at any time--with no exceptions for rape or incest--was invalidated by Roe, but is still on the books and can now be enforced.

On March 30, 2022, Governor Ducey signed Arizona S.B. 1164, banning abortions after 15 weeks and charging physicians who perform abortions after this period with a class 6 felony if convicted. The legislation has no exceptions for rape or incest.

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