Doctor asks Arizona high court to uphold state’s pro-life law

PHOENIX – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing Dr. Eric Hazelrigg, an obstetrician and medical director of Choices Pregnancy Center in Arizona, filed a petition Wednesday with the Arizona Supreme Court. The petition asks the state’s high court to reverse an appeal court’s ruling that rewrote the state’s pro-life law and thwarted the Arizona Legislature’s intent to enact that law, and to lift an injunction that halted the law from taking effect.

In September 2022, the Arizona Superior Court in Pima County appointed Hazelrigg as the guardian ad litem to legally represent the best interests of unborn children in Arizona. The court also ruled that the state is free to protect the lives of unborn children and the health and safety of mothers by enforcing its pre-Roe v. Wade law that offers substantial protection from the harms of abortion. ADF attorneys argued for that result in a brief filed in August 2022, asking the court to grant then Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s request to lift the injunction against the state’s pro-life law, which the court had previously blocked based on Roe.

“Pro-life laws like the one in Arizona not only help protect the lives of countless innocent, unborn children, but they also protect the dignity and health of women by providing real support during a difficult time,” said ADF Senior Counsel Mark Lippelmann. “We’re pleased to represent Dr. Hazelrigg, who has been appointed to speak on behalf of countless unborn children who cannot yet speak on their own.”

“Arizona is eager to preserve the innocent lives of children and restore dignity to women and the medical profession,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Since Attorney General Mayes has said she refuses to defend the state’s duly enacted pro-life law, we urge the Arizona Supreme Court to grant our petition for review and uphold this critical law that protects the lives of mothers and their children.”

In the petition for review filed in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes, ADF attorneys note that “Arizonans deserve to have their laws fully enforced. They made their voice heard at the ballot box—electing Legislature after Legislature to protect life as much as possible. And lawmakers delivered. Then the appeals court rewrote [the state’s pro-life law], doing with a pen what abortion proponents could not do with a vote. That’s not how a republic works. Only this Court can fix it.”

• Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

# # #