Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes

Planned Parenthood Arizona, et al. v. Kris Mayes is an Arizona Supreme Court case in which the court upheld an 1864 law criminalizing abortions except to save the life of the mother.

On April9, 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in Planned Parenthood of Arizona v. Mayes that the 1864 law could be enforced, to take effect 14 days later, but with no retroactive enforcement. As a result, abortion in Arizona became illegal, except for when it is "necessary to save" the life of the pregnant individual. There are no exceptions for rape or incest, and the legally prescribed sentence for assisting in an illegal abortion is 2–5 years in prison.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, responded to the Arizona Supreme Court decision by declaring that "as long as I am Attorney General, no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law in this state." Mayes criticized the Arizona Supreme Court for having "risked the health and lives of Arizonans", after "effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago... when Arizona wasn't a state, the Civil War was raging, and women couldn't even vote".

Arizona for Abortion Access, a campaign intending to introduce a November 2024 ballot proposal to protect abortion within the Arizona Constitution, is gathering signatures up to July 2024 for their petition to introduce the amendment.