Arizona’s 2023 Abortion Report, released late last month, uncovers a dark truth: abortion in our state disproportionately targets minority communities. The data reveals that Hispanic and Black women are overrepresented in the number of abortions performed, far exceeding their share of Arizona’s population.
According to the report, Hispanic people accounted for 47% of all surgical abortions in 2023, while U.S. Census data shows they make up only 32% of the state’s population. Black people represented 11% of surgical abortions despite only being 6% of the population. Meanwhile, white people, who make up 53% of Arizona’s population, accounted for 30% of surgical abortions. These numbers reflect a decade-long trend: Hispanic and Black women consistently make up a higher percentage of abortions than their population percentages would suggest. This raises serious concerns about whether the abortion industry is disproportionately targeting minority communities.
The numbers aren’t just statistics. They tell a story of communities being disproportionately affected by abortion. Historically, the abortion industry has faced criticism for its roots in eugenics and its targeting of minority neighborhoods. Arizona law (ARS 13-3603.02) prohibits abortions based on race or sex, but these statistics make it clear that the impact of abortion on minorities remains profoundly unequal. This is not freedom of choice—it’s exploitation.
The sheer volume of abortions performed is heartbreaking. In 2023, Arizona celebrated 77,881 live births. At the same time, 12,705 babies were surgically aborted, not including chemical abortions. This means 14% of the babies who should have been part of our communities last year never had the chance to live. That’s not just a statistic; it’s a profound loss of human potential and a tragic reminder of the lives slaughtered by abortion.
Adding to this tragedy, Governor Katie Hobbs has called for an end to the Arizona Abortion Report, calling it “an attack on our freedom” and claiming it should not exist. But this report is not about attacking freedom—it’s about transparency and accountability. Eliminating it would obscure the truth, making it harder to see how abortion disproportionately impacts minority communities in our state.
The abortion industry’s targeting of Hispanic and Black women is not an accident—it’s a calculated strategy rooted in exploitation and profit. The 2023 Abortion Report doesn’t just expose chilling statistics; it exposes a system that sacrifices the most vulnerable—both mothers and their unborn children—for financial gain. This isn’t freedom, and it isn’t healthcare. It’s a disturbing reminder that the abortion industry thrives by exploiting the very communities it claims to serve. How much longer will we allow this silent genocide to continue before we confront the racism at its core?
Katarina White serves as Board Member for Arizona Right to Life. To get involved and stay informed, visit the Arizona Right to Life website.
The Arizona Abortion Access Campaign has engaged in a widespread misinformation campaign, suggesting that if Proposition 139 fails, women in Arizona could lose access to vital miscarriage care. Nothing could be further from the truth. Current Arizona law already makes clear distinctions between abortion procedures and care for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, as outlined in ARS 36-2151.
According to the law, miscarriage management is not considered an abortion. ARS 36-2151 specifically excludes from the definition of abortion any procedures used to “terminate an ectopic pregnancy or to remove a dead fetus.” Dr. Anthony Levatino, a practicing OB-GYN and attorney, explains this distinction: “Miscarriage care is protected as it is explicitly excluded from the definition of abortion; abortion does not include birth control devices to terminate an ectopic pregnancy or to remove a dead fetus.’”
In light of these misrepresentations, Arizona Right to Life and the It Goes Too Far Campaign held a joint press conference to highlight the myths versus truths embedded within the language of Prop 139. Several medical doctors addressed the confusion stirred by the Arizona Abortion Access Campaign, clarifying that Arizona’s current laws ensure women will continue to receive necessary and compassionate care for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy—care that is already protected and is unaffected by whether Prop 139 passes or fails.
While some in the abortion lobby have attempted to blur these distinctions, our laws are clear. The current statutes guarantee that women experiencing miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy will have access to the appropriate medical treatments, regardless of the fate of Prop 139. The push for Prop 139 is less about women’s health and more about expanding abortion access through all nine months, using fear and misleading information to drive support.
In voting on Proposition 139, Arizonans should see past the Arizona Abortion Access Campaign’s expensive attempts to mislead voters. With millions of dollars poured into a campaign designed to blur the truth, it’s clear their goal is not to protect women’s health, but to open the door to a broader revenue stream. Current Arizona law already safeguards critical medical care for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. This push for Prop 139 is simply a gateway to unrestricted abortion access, using fear to pave the way. Arizona voters deserve the truth—not a profit-driven agenda.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has set her sights on Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs), launching an unfounded consumer fraud report against these life-saving organizations. It’s one thing to disagree politically, but when someone in a position of power like Mayes starts deliberately targeting groups whose mission is to protect life, it raises serious concerns. What kind of message is being sent when the state’s top law enforcement officer chooses to weaponize her office against organizations that offer free services and support to women in crisis?
Mayes’ consumer fraud report absurdly claims that PRCs “ALMOST NEVER SAY ON THEIR WEBSITES THAT THEY DO NOT PROVIDE ABORTION CARE OR REFERRALS.” This is not only misleading but entirely illogical. Expecting a Pregnancy Resource Center to advertise that they don’t offer abortion services is the same as demanding that a dentist disclose they don’t provide chiropractic care. It’s a manufactured issue designed to discredit these centers, and it’s terrifying that such a tactic is being employed by someone with such power and influence.
To make matters worse, this aggressive stance could pave the way for even more dangerous outcomes if Proposition 139 passes. Prop 139, which seeks to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right in Arizona, would only strengthen the hands of those, like Mayes, who are intent on dismantling any organization that dares to stand up for the lives of unborn human beings. If passed, this amendment would not only make abortion legal up until birth, but also makes it even harder for PRCs to operate without fear of government interference or harassment. The attack on PRCs that we’re seeing now would be just the beginning.
Consider the work being done by the Aid to Women Center. This incredible facility offers a range of services from free pregnancy tests to parenting classes, helping women navigate unplanned pregnancies with care, compassion, and real solutions. Yet, in Mayes’ world, because they don’t provide abortions, they’re somehow guilty of fraud. The real fraud here is the notion that abortion is “healthcare.” Abortion dismembers life—PRCs like Aid to Women Center work to protect and preserve it.
Mayes’ attack on PRCs is not about transparency—it’s about silencing those who stand for life. If Proposition 139 is passed, it will only embolden those who want to shut down PRCs, making it harder for women to find the real reproductive care they need. Pregnancy Resource Centers do not need to apologize for their mission to protect the most vulnerable among us. Instead of demonizing these centers, our attorney general should be lifting them up as the real champions of women’s health.
Katarina White serves as Board Member for Arizona Right to Life. To get involved and stay informed, visit the Arizona Right to Life website.
Throughout history, we have witnessed the horrors that unfold when societies dehumanize entire groups of people. In the era of slavery, Black people were considered less than human—mere property to be bought, sold, and exploited. During the Holocaust, Jews were labeled as “subhuman” and systematically exterminated. Today, we look back on these atrocities with disbelief and sorrow, wondering how such inhumanity could have ever been justified. And yet, in our current era, we face a similar moral crisis with abortion—a modern-day holocaust where the humanity of unborn children is denied, and their lives can be murdered right up to the moment of birth.
Proposition 139 is not just another policy debate—it is a question of life and death. If passed, this proposition would permit the killing of unborn children until birth. The Arizona Supreme Court recently ruled that the term “unborn human being” will remain in the ballot language for this proposition. This decision challenges us to face the uncomfortable truth: the lives at stake are not mere “fetuses” or “clumps of cells” but human beings in their most vulnerable form.
The Arizona Abortion Access Campaign, which claims to stand for “truth,” has fought fiercely to exclude the term “unborn human being” from the language of Proposition 139. Why? Because they understand that words matter—words shape perceptions. If voters are confronted with the reality that abortion involves the killing of an unborn human being, they might see through the euphemisms of “reproductive rights” and “women’s health” to the brutal truth.
Yet, the scientific truth is clear. According to Keith L. Moore’s The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (6th ed., 1998), “Human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm unites with a female gamete or oocyte to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.” From conception, a developing life in the womb carries its own unique DNA—a distinct genetic blueprint that is undeniably human. To deny this is to deny biological reality in favor of a narrative that serves a political agenda.
Consider the parallels. In both slavery and the Holocaust, those in power used language and rhetoric to strip away the humanity of their victims. Slaves were considered property, not people. Jews were referred to as “vermin.” These labels made it easier to carry out heinous acts without facing the moral consequences. Today, the abortion industry reduces the unborn to “fetuses,” distancing from the murderous act of abortion and its reality—the ending of a human life.
Despite this, Dawn Penich, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, argued that the court’s decision to use the term “unborn human being” would prevent voters from understanding the ballot in a “fair, neutral, and accurate way,” claiming they would be “subjected to biased, politically-charged words developed not by experts but by anti-abortion special interests to manipulate voters and spread misinformation.” But isn’t it more manipulative to hide the biological reality of what abortion truly involves?
The irony is staggering.
The Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to allow the term “unborn human being” on the ballot forces us to confront what is truly at stake. This is not just a matter of “reproductive rights”—this is about whether we, as a society, will sanction the destruction of human life up to the point of birth.
History has taught us the catastrophic consequences of dehumanization. In every era, from slavery to the Holocaust, society’s refusal to recognize the humanity of its victims has led to unspeakable horrors. Today, abortion stands as the latest chapter in this tragic story—a chapter that will be judged by future generations. Will we turn a blind eye, or will we stand for the truth that every human life, born or unborn, deserves recognition and protection?
As Arizona voters head to the polls in November, they must decide whether they will be complicit in this modern-day holocaust or whether they will choose to defend the most fundamental of all human rights: the right to life. The fight over language is a fight over truth, and truth, once revealed, compels us to act. Let us not be found on the wrong side of history.
Katarina White serves as Board Member for Arizona Right to Life. To get involved and stay informed, visit the Arizona Right to Life website.
The Screwtape Letters is a satirical novel written by C.S. Lewis in which a senior demon advises his nephew on how to lead humans astray. It exposes moral issues by presenting them from evil’s perspective, and it made me think. I wonder how Uncle Screwtape would reveal the distorted reasoning behind actions like supporting abortion through Proposition 139.
My Dear Wormwood,
I am thrilled to see our schemes in Arizona advancing so well. This November, the humans will vote on Proposition 139, the Arizona Abortion Access Amendment—a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the slaughter of infants up until the point of birth. What a splendid victory this could be for our cause!
For years, we’ve worked to twist their concept of “freedom” into a license for destruction, and what better vehicle than “choice”? The language of this amendment is, dare I say, masterful—dressed up in words like “rights” and “autonomy” that tickle the human mind and make them believe true freedom lies in rejecting any duty toward the most vulnerable. How easily they are led to view abortion not as ending a life, but as an empowering act of independence. Wrap it all in euphemisms, and they’ll never notice the blood on their hands.
But do not underestimate our opposition. Those meddlesome pro-lifers, especially Arizona Right to Life, remain a thorn in our side. They are determined to educate the public on what this amendment truly means and why it must be stopped. They speak of “defending life” and “protecting the innocent,” and they’re working hard to reach as many people as possible with their message. If they manage to expose the truth behind our cleverly disguised rhetoric, they could sway enough voters against us.
We must counter this by portraying them as extremists—out of touch with today’s values and opposed to women’s rights and personal liberty. Our allies in the Arizona Abortion Access Campaign have been skillful in steering attention away from uncomfortable topics like late-term abortions or the erosion of parental consent. Instead, they’ve focused on narratives of compassion and healthcare.
However, we must stay vigilant. Arizona Right to Life is relentless in its efforts to inform voters of the amendment’s dangers. They are spreading the word through educational campaigns, determined to expose the amendment’s potential for unfettered abortion access. We must work tirelessly to drown out their message, keeping the focus on appealing catchphrases and steering the conversation away from the harsh reality of what’s at stake.
In the end, the humans will think they are securing a “right,” when in truth, they will be codifying a monstrous wrong. Our task is to keep them in the dark until it’s too late.
Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape
Katarina White serves as Board Member for Arizona Right to Life. To get involved and stay informed, visit the Arizona Right to Life website.
