Arizona is characterized as a state with some restrictions/protections by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion is protected up to fetal viability, with exceptions to preserve the life or health of the pregnant woman. Arizona has a shield law protecting abortion providers from investigations or prosecution by other states. The state constitution protects the right to an abortion.
In the US, people who are not white and people with low incomes are more likely to experience barriers to reproductive health care access.
IN THIS STATE
As of 2024, 1.6 million women are of reproductive age in Arizona.
- 10 percent are low income (lower than the national average)
- 15.4 percent are likely eligible for Medicaid because their income is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (lower than the national average)
- 56.3 percent are nonwhite (higher than the national average), and Hispanic women are the largest nonwhite group (37.2 percent; higher than the national average)
- 13.4 percent are uninsured (higher than the national average)
Arizona has expanded Medicaid and thus provides coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and pregnant women with incomes up to 161 percent of FPL. The state has also extended pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage up to 12 months postpartum. Arizona does not use state funds to cover abortion for Medicaid beneficiaries, with limited exceptions.
Accessing Abortion Care
In 2026, nine clinics provide abortions in Arizona—up from eight clinics in 2020. This number excludes hospitals.
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are organizations—often operated by anti-abortion, nonmedical, and/or religiously affiliated groups—that aim to deter people from certain reproductive health care services, including abortion and some contraceptive methods. In 2025, there were 45 CPCs in Arizona.
Patients face the following restrictions on abortion access:
Abortion providers face the following restrictions that limit their ability to practice:
Accessing Contraceptive Care
According to Power to Decide, about 490,000 women of reproductive age in Arizona live in contraceptive access gaps, putting them at increased risk of a mistimed or unintended pregnancy.
Arizona has the following protections for contraception access:
What to Watch For
In April 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 was enforceable. The attorney general moved to temporarily stay the mandate, and the Arizona Supreme Court granted that motion in May 2024, pausing enforcement of the ban until September 2024. However, in May 2024, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2677 into law, repealing the near-total abortion ban. After that, a 15-week abortion ban that passed in 2022 remained in effect.
In November 2024, the state passed Proposition 139, a citizen-initiated state constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights up to fetal viability. The Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of two OB-GYNs and the Arizona branch of Planned Parenthood, arguing that the 15-week abortion ban violated the amended state constitution. In March 2025, an Arizona judge permanently blocked the 15-week ban.
While abortion is protected up to fetal viability in the Arizona constitution, the passage of Proposition 139 did not automatically invalidate other state abortion restrictions. In February 2026, a state court struck down some of these restrictions, including a ban on abortions based on fetal abnormalities, a 24-hour waiting period requirement, and a ban on telemedicine abortions. In the same month, a group of advanced practice clinicians filed another lawsuit to overturn the state’s ban on the provision of abortion care by such clinicians.
The November 2026 gubernatorial election could be consequential for preserving or reversing current abortion protections in Arizona. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is running for reelection and has a record of protecting abortion access in Arizona. Republican candidate Andy Biggs’s campaign website does not state his platform on reproductive health. However, during his time serving in the House of Representatives, Biggs cosponsored the unsuccessful Life at Conception Act, which would have instituted a national abortion ban.
Last updated: September 2026
