Inside the fight over the abortion vote in Arizona: One family’s story

PHOENIX — Kristin and Dave Gambardella never expected that the process of growing their family would involve abortion, but in the summer of 2023, the married couple nonetheless found themselves in a Planned Parenthood parking lot in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a seven-hour drive from their home in Tucson, Arizona.

A week earlier, a routine blood test performed at Kristin’s 17th week of pregnancy had yielded devastating results. A follow-up ultrasound confirmed the doctors’ fears. The fetus had a serious genetic defect.

“They told us that we were really guaranteed a short life, full of pain, surgery and constant medical care,” Gambardella said. “Dave is a stoic person,” she said of her husband, “I remember he just broke down and lost everything. And then I really felt this feeling in my stomach that was like, “Wow, this is really devastating.”

When deciding to terminate their pregnancy, the Gambardellas realized that not only were they faced with a painful decision for their family – they also had to contend with an Arizona law that prevented them from seeing any of their own doctors for the procedure.

“I remember the doctor looked at me and her eyes were really sad. And she said, ‘No, you can’t come here. We cannot perform this procedure for you. You would have to leave the hospital. state,” Gambardella said.

Abortion ban in Arizona

In Arizona – one of 21 states that have enacted abortion restrictions since the end of Roe v. Wade – abortion is banned after the 15th week of pregnancy, except in medical emergencies that threaten the mother’s life. Gambardella did not qualify for this exception.

“As someone who has always believed in a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body, this was a turning point in my understanding of how intertwined abortion care is with fertility care and the desire to have a child,” Gambardella said.

This experience inspired her to join the campaign to pass Proposition 139, a bill that would have enshrined in the Arizona constitution the right to abortion up to fetal viability.

Arizona is one of 10 states in the country that will adopt such measures this November, including Florida, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana and Nebraska.

This major nationwide push comes at a time when access to abortion remains one of the most important issues for voters this election and the most important issue for women under 30, according to an October poll by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization.

Where the candidates stand

Democrats hope the issue will spark enthusiasm among Vice President Kamala Harris, who has focused her campaign on restoring reproductive rights and attacked former President Donald Trump for nominating conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump, who has repeatedly changed his position on abortion from supporting a federal ban to saying he would not enact one while remaining open to other restrictions on reproductive health care, maintains he will “protect women” but does not provide details.

But it’s unclear whether a ballot measure allowing abortion access will change the outcome of the presidential race in a swing state like Arizona. Voters could split the mandate by voting to provide access to abortion, but they would prioritize other issues in their presidential election.

According to. Trump has a two-point lead over Harris in Arizona Latest polling average 538although polls so far have shown that Arizona’s abortion access amendment is very popular, with about 60% of likely voters saying they would support it.

This level of support is consistent with the success of abortion rights ballot measures in other states over the past two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Reproductive rights ballot measures passed every time they were on the ballot, regardless of whether the state leans heavily Republican or Democratic, or is closely divided like Arizona.

Susan Ashley, retiree and volunteer for Arizona Miscarriage Access says ‘rage’ over Roe vs. loss Wade prompted her to make this initiative her “full-time job now.”

“I was an active voter, but I had never before participated in an event with so many committed volunteers. It made me nervous,” Ashley said.

Field efforts

Athena Salman, a former Arizona state representative and director of the Arizona Campaign for Reproductive Freedom for All, was by Ashley’s side as she knocked on doors in mid-October, in 30-degree heat.

The two women spoke to nearly a dozen registered Independents in Chandler, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Every voter he spoke to said he supported the voting measure.

“I think it really shows that Arizonans are just fed up with their reproductive freedom up in the air and are willing to take action to stop the government from interfering in our personal decisions,” Salman said.

Although Arizona currently bans abortions through the 15th week of pregnancy, in the summer of 2022, when the 1864 ban was reinstated, all abortions in the state were halted for four months. It almost went into effect again in spring 2024, but the Arizona Legislature repealed it after massive outcry from residents and pressure from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes.

According to Cindy Dahlgren, spokeswoman for the campaign against the Abortion Access Act, the legislator’s decision to repeal the almost complete ban on abortion and maintain the 15-week ban should reassure people.

“Proponents are exploiting this fear and confusion by claiming that the ban is prohibited when there is none,” she said, arguing that current law only limits the procedure but does not completely ban it. “I would also like to emphasize that it was the Legislature that repealed this law. And there doesn’t seem to be any desire to restore that right.”

Her campaign, titled “It Goes Too Far,” argues that providing access to abortion until fetal viability would remove too many restrictions on abortion, leaving it too unregulated.

“In fact, the choice in November will not be between abortion or no abortion. The choice must be made between limited abortion and safety measures and physician and parental involvement, or unrestricted and unregulated abortion,” Dahlgren said.

Asked about cases like Gambardella’s, in which pregnancy complications occur in the second trimester, or women who have experienced rape or incest and do not qualify for the exception, Dahlgren said: “We don’t need to push for a very radical abortion amendment to provide care for these victims “

But Dr. Misha Pangasa, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Planned Parenthood, one of only nine clinics in Arizona that provides abortion care, said she no longer wants to leave reproductive rights to political state legislation.

“The idea that health care in Arizona is subject to the whims of the supermajority Legislature will never be the best way for people to get the best care,” Pangasa said.

Arizona currently has about 40 laws restricting abortion, which Pangasy said has already significantly impacted her ability to provide care to pregnant patients.

“Pregnancy is complicated and decisions at different stages are difficult. And I help support them. I wish our government would just let me,” Pangasa said.

Pangasa said it regularly sees patients like Gambardella.

“Honestly, it’s a really heartbreaking moment when I talk to my patients and say, if you were with me in another state right now, I would tell you these are your options. But since we are in Arizona, abortion is simply not an option,” she said.