Arizona Governor Race: Abortion Rights Take Center Stage
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who secured her position in 2022 with a pledge to safeguard abortion rights, is poised to make this issue a focal point in her upcoming reelection campaign.
Her anticipated opponent, Republican Representative Andy Biggs, has a long-standing record of opposing abortion access. Throughout his public career spanning two decades, Biggs has consistently voted to restrict abortion rights and made controversial statements about the procedure. His campaign has gained support from several anti-abortion groups, including Turning Point Action and the Arizona Freedom Caucus.
Biggs’ staunch anti-abortion stance was evident when he emotionally discussed the matter during a May 2020 interview. “Each person is made in God’s image,” he remarked with a breaking voice, emphasizing the importance of protecting life, especially those unable to protect themselves.
In a more recent statement on X, Biggs declared, “life begins in the womb,” and stressed that “Congress must protect the unborn” by ensuring taxpayer funds are not used for abortions.
During his tenure in Congress, Biggs has co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act five times, aiming to ban all abortions nationwide, regardless of state laws. This legislation threatens access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), some birth control methods, and imposes criminal penalties on doctors performing abortions.
Planned Parenthood criticized the bill, arguing that equating a fetus’s rights with those of a child creates legal confusion, undermines pregnant individuals’ rights, and could hinder family planning.
The bill would also counteract Proposition 139, a voter-backed amendment that solidified abortion rights in the Arizona constitution, supported by 61% of voters. Hobbs endorsed this proposition, whereas Biggs was against it.
Further aligning with his anti-abortion stance, Biggs backed the Born Alive legislation, mandating medical care for infants surviving abortions. Critics argue such instances are exceedingly rare and that existing federal laws already require life-saving care for all newborns. Opponents believe these bills aim to intimidate abortion providers.
In 2021, Biggs accused Democrats opposing the Born Alive legislation of having a “craven desire to kill the unborn and the newly born.”
Before his congressional career, Biggs advocated for a 20-week abortion ban during his time in the Arizona legislature, some without exceptions for rape or incest.
Governor Hobbs, in contrast, has actively supported abortion rights, including the endorsement of Proposition 139 and signing legislation to repeal Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban after the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022. Her efforts have earned her support from the advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, which praised her commitment to reproductive freedom.
In the upcoming Republican primary on July 21, Biggs will face competition from fellow Republican Representative David Schweikert, another anti-abortion candidate.
A May poll by Noble Predictive Insights indicated that Hobbs leads Biggs by four points in a potential election matchup.
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