Kari Lakes abortion stance in question by Arizona doctors

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona doctors are begging republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to be clear about her stance on abortion ahead of the general election.

They say it’s harmful to Arizona voters to not have an honest viewpoint on abortion from a candidate in the race to run the state of Arizona.

Several Arizona physicians say Lake is trying to hide her anti-abortion views.

The doctors say the lack of transparency is harmful to patients and medical practitioners who just want a clear and open answer.

OB/GYN doctors, Dr. Tori Fewell of Tucson and Dr. Julie Kwatra of Scottsdale and psychiatrist, Dr. Dennis Weiss of Phoenix shared those thoughts this afternoon.

They say during the primary, Lake said she wanted to sign a “carbon copy” of the Texas law which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.

“Pregnancy is inherently dangerous and doctors need to know what the laws are in order to protect our patient's health and their lives," said Dr. Fewell. "Kari Lake’s refusal to clearly state where she stands on abortion will put patients at risk.”

Dr. Fewell says she’s referring patients to clinics outside of the state for abortion care, but says doing so has its own medical risks.

Dr. Weiss says mental health and abortion should be talked about more.

Saying anxiety, PTSD, depression and thoughts of suicide do not disappear during pregnancy.

“As a physician, I cannot emphasize enough how traumatizing forced pregnancy and birth can be on a person," said Dr. Weiss.

Meanwhile, her democratic opponent, Katie Hobbs, is pro-choice and says the choice to carry is between a woman and her doctor.

“Unlike Miss Lake, Katie Hobbs has pledged to protect a women’s health and freedom," said Dr. Kwatra. "Her legislative legacy backs this up, as both a representative and a senator in the Arizona legislature, she consistently supported women’s rights and health.”

The press conference was held by the "Committee to protect healthcare".

Lakes’ campaign responded to our request for comment but still did not make it clear what her stance is, only saying there is nothing extreme about it and instead calling Hobbs' viewpoints on abortion “extreme”.