Arizona’s strict 15-week abortion ban has been blocked after voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution enshrining the right to an abortion in the state.

A judge in the Maricopa County Superior Court blocked and declared the previous 2022 law unconstitutional. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes previously said she would not enforce the 15-week ban after voters approved Proposition 139, which established a fundamental right to abortion under the Arizona Constitution.

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“(The state of Arizona), its respective agents, officers, employees, successors, and all persons acting in concert with each or any of them are hereby immediately and permanently and forever enjoined and restrained from implementing, enforcing, or giving any effect to (the 2022 law),” Judge Frank Moskowitz wrote in his two-page ruling that the 15-week law is instantly nullified.

In the 2024 election, 61.6% of Arizona voters approved Proposition 139. The Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona Chapter and state Democratic lawmakers celebrating the order Wednesday.

“This is historic, and this is just the beginning. Arizonans have spoken loud and clear,” Reproductive Freedom for All Director of Arizona Campaigns Athena Salman said. “Leave it up to the states. OK, the people of Arizona decided.”

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, a 15-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest was enacted under then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ).

In 2024, however, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864, when Arizona was a U.S. territory, was enforceable. The state’s GOP-controlled legislature voted to repeal the ban after a few failed attempts, and the bill was signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) and reverted the state to a 2022 15-week ban.  

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Despite the constitutional protection, some Republican lawmakers in the state are still pushing bills about the abortion process. 

One bill proposed in the Arizona House would prohibit the state from funding any person who performs or “promotes” abortion. Another Arizona House proposal would ask voters to revise Prop. 139 to allow laws that protect “maternal health and safety,” defend the “respect for and preservation of prenatal life,” and eliminate “particularly gruesome or barbaric” procedures.