"No Retention" on Supreme Court Justices on Abortion Rights

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PHOENIX – The new political action committee called Protect Abortion Rights No Retention Bolick & King, encouraged voters to vote no to retention in the upcoming election during a press conference on Sept.10 at the Arizona State Capitol.

For Arizonian voters to have a say in possibly protecting abortion rights in this nearing election, you can vote to retain or let go of some of the Supreme Court justices that are up for retention. 

 Morgan Finklestein, abortion rights advocate said, “Governor Doug Ducey expanded the Arizona Supreme Court from five to seven members to ensure that there would be two new anti-abortion justices.”

 With that Arizona Supreme Court ended in a split decision to impose the 1864 ban, which made it possible for almost all abortions to be considered illegal with no exceptions for rape or incest.

The ban prevented medical professionals from providing reproductive health care and the decision by justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King to reinstate this ban has been criticized for its lack of empathy and regard for reproductive professional’s careers.

Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick, abortion care provider and family physician, talked about the significance of having not only medical expertise but having empathy when it comes to situations regarding abortions.

Dr. Goodrick said, “Basic rights in healthcare are out of reach due to Arizona politicians' dangerous games with women's healthcare, mirroring what we’ve seen in Texas, Florida, and Alabama. This reflects a lack of empathy for Arizona women and disregards the expertise of medical professionals.”

Some reproductive healthcare professionals would potentially be completely out of jobs and or unable to provide any reproductive service. Along with any woman out there trying to seek out those reproductive services in this state. The Arizona Supreme Court justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King ruling in favor of the 1864 abortion ban undermine this issue. 

“Every patient deserves bodily autonomy, compassion, and access to comprehensive reproductive health care. Arizonans should have the freedom to make their own decisions about pregnancy and abortion without government interference.” Said Goodrick.

Voting them out during the election by voting no on retention is a form of protecting abortion rights and is also putting acts of abortion back in the hands of women involved and reproductive healthcare experts.

Abigail Jackson, from Progress Arizona, feels that both justices have also been reluctant to citizens constantly reaching out about the funding of Arizona schools. 

Abigail Jackson said, “These two justices represented two of the four votes in favor of reinstating the 1860 orbit. This alone gives voters plenty of reason to vote against a new six-year term. But this is not the only reason voters should vote no on the retention. Both Justices Bolick and King have been hostile to citizen efforts to fund K-12 public education.” 

Their stance on reproductive rights and their resistance to funding public education highlights a broader pattern of decisions that undermine vital community resources.

Bolick and King have shown which stance they have taken.

Jackson said,  “They are too extreme to be allowed to serve another term on the Arizona Supreme Court.”

In a statement on November 1, Finkelstein further outlined the campaign's efforts. 

“Our campaign has been hard at work urging voters to vote no on retention for Justices Bolick and King, the two justices who both ruled in favor of an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions. Our campaign has largely focused on coordinating with groups who are collectively knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors across the state to deliver a message that Bolick and King are too extreme and do not deserve another term endangering the lives of Arizonans. Additionally, we have put up street signs, made phone calls, and sent text messages to voters with the same message.”

The campaign is here to educate voters on the whole idea of no retention and to also involve thousands of organizations and voters all over the state of Arizona to understand the importance of voting no on justices Bolick and King. The campaign’s goal is to make sure voters very well understand the stakes and the need to hold these two justices accountable.