Federal judge blocks Arizona’s ‘personhood’ abortion law

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - A federal judge in Phoenix has blocked a 2021 state “personhood” law that gives all legal rights to unborn children.

U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes said in his written ruling that the groups that sued to block the law are right and it is “anyone’s guess,” what criminal laws abortion providers may be breaking if they perform otherwise-legal abortions.

Rayes adding “when the punitive and regulatory weight of the entire arizona code is involved, plaintiffs should not have to guess at whether their conduct is on the right or the wrong side of the law.”

Rayes ultimately agreeing with the challengers that the law appears to be unconstitutionally vague.

It is unclear if abortions that have been halted in Arizona since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that women do not have a constitutional right to abortion would restart.

Abortion providers stopped virtually all procedures because a pre-1901 law banning all abortions that may be in effect and other laws created too much risk.