ROUNDUP: Four Years After Dobbs, Governor Hobbs Reaffirms Commitment To Protecting Reproductive Freedom

PHOENIX – On the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision, which stripped away the constitutional right to choose, Gov. Katie Hobbs stood alongside patients, providers, advocates, and students to reaffirm her commitment to protecting abortion rights and reproductive freedom for all.

Hosting a roundtable in Phoenix with Reproductive Freedom for All, Hobbs heard directly from those who have lived the consequences of losing federal protections, and made clear that she will not stop fighting so that every Arizonan can make their own healthcare decisions—not out-of-touch politicians.

She highlighted her record of protecting reproductive freedom as governor, including repealing the 1864 total abortion ban and expanding access to contraception. Meanwhile, her GOP opponents have spent their careers trying to restrict reproductive freedom – supporting abortion bans with zero exceptions for rape and incest and threatening access to IVF.

Read more below:

Arizona Mirror: On Dobbs anniversary Hobbs warns of her GOP opponents’ past abortion ban support
Gloria Rebecca Gomez
June 24, 2026

• In the run-up to decide who will lead the Grand Canyon State for the next four years, Gov. Katie Hobbs is looking to keep her Republican opponents in the political hot seat over their abortion stances.
• “Every chance I have during this election, I’m going to be focused on my opponents’ record of supporting the cost-hiking agenda of Washington (and) of supporting a nationwide abortion ban,” she said, shortly after leading a roundtable discussion with local doctors and advocates on the state’s reproductive healthcare landscape.
• U.S. Congressmen Andy Biggs and David Schweikert are vying for the chance to challenge Hobbs in the fall. Both have a track record of opposing abortion and supporting legislation that could lead to a nationwide ban. Biggs and Schweikert each celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional protection for abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic four years ago and both have co-sponsored federal legislation that would bestow personhood at conception, which critics warn would outlaw all abortions.
• Arizona voters’ overwhelming support for Prop. 139 two years ago, which made the procedure a fundamental right in the state, didn’t deter Biggs from continuing to push for a nationwide ban, either; he co-sponsored the most recent iteration of the legislation last year on the same day it was introduced. 
• Sitting between reproductive rights advocates and local doctors at the McKinley Club in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday morning, Hobbs warned that failing to re-elect her could mean new and more successful attacks on abortion care. 
• “The reality can be really different with a different governor in office,” she said. “I’m committed to continuing the fight to protect what we fought for and won.”
• The Democrat ran on a campaign promise to defend access to abortion care and she’s spent her first term in office focused on that goal, issuing an executive order that prevented county attorneys from prosecuting patients or doctors over abortion care and vetoing dozens of bills from the Republican-majority state legislature that sought to restrict the procedure. On Wednesday, Hobbs highlighted those efforts and other actions taken to expand access to reproductive healthcare, including ensuring a law passed during her predecessor’s leadership which had been held up for two years that made birth control available at pharmacies without the need for a prescription, as proof that she’s the best candidate to oversee Arizona. 
• Doctors lauded the progress made to keep abortion care accessible and said they worried that electing Biggs or Schweikert could mean their patients would again be forced to deal with unnecessary barriers. In February, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge struck down multiple laws that doctors have long said were intended to make it more burdensome to obtain an abortion, including ones requiring a 24-hour waiting period, an ultrasound and the recitation of state-mandated information before the procedure could be performed. Dr. Gabrielle Goodrick, the owner of Camelback Family Planning, an abortion clinic in Phoenix, said those changes helped streamline the process for her patients but said several onerous requirements remain, including a state law that forces doctors to ask patients why they’re seeking an abortion. Goodrick said she fears handing the state over to an anti-abortion candidate would only result in more restrictions, which she criticized as politicians meddling in the private healthcare choices of Arizonans.
• Athena Salman, the director of the Arizona branch of Reproductive Freedom for All, said all the gains made during Hobbs’ tenure could be reversed under Biggs or Schweikert. And while voters might believe that the legality of abortion is a settled matter after the passage of Prop. 139, Salman warned that letting Republicans win back the state’s leadership positions would only reinvigorate efforts to undermine the abortion rights amendment. Hobbs pointed out that while the anti-abortion bills she vetoed would have invited legal challenges if they had been approved by a Republican governor, the process would have been costly for taxpayers and lengthy, leaving doctors and patients in legal uncertainty. 
• “Voters can’t be complacent,” Salman said. “If they want to continue to enjoy reproductive freedom, which is integrally linked to your economic freedom, then you need to reelect Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and we need to flip the legislature.”
• In 2024, when the abortion rights amendment was on the ballot and advocates were confident they could sweep the elections, Republicans instead increased their hold at the state legislature. Advocates are hopeful that this year’s election will yield results. On Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Reproductive Freedom for All announced a $23.5 million voter education campaign dubbed “My Body. My Ballot.” Salman said she’s unsure how much of the money is destined for Arizona, but said she expects it will be invested in digital ads and voter outreach.
• “For us the greatest investment and the quickest way to action that Arizonans can take is reelecting this governor and flipping the state legislature,” she said. “That is the best pathway and most realistic pathway to securing broader reproductive freedoms beyond abortion care.”

KJZZ: 2 years after Prop. 139, reproductive rights group says abortion is still on Arizona ballot
Wayne Schutsky
June 24, 2026

• Arizona voters added abortion protections to the state’s constitution two years ago, but reproductive rights advocates say their fight is far from over.
• Reproductive Freedom for All, the national arm of the campaign that backed the voter-approved constitutional amendment in 2024, has committed to spending tens of millions of dollars in elections across the country this year.
• Athena Salman, a former state lawmaker who runs the organization’s Arizona campaigns, said she still isn’t sure exactly how much of that money will flow into the state but promised Reproductive Freedom for All will be active in Arizona.
• “Reproductive Freedom for All has announced the launch of My Body, My Ballot, a $23.5-million campaign to mobilize voters, hold anti-abortion extremists accountable and elect reproductive freedom champions in key races across the country, especially in Arizona, where we have the chance to re-elect Governor Katie Hobbs,” Salman said.
• Salman made the announcement alongside Hobbs, medical providers and other reproductive rights advocates on Wednesday, the four-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned abortion protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade.
• When voters passed Prop. 139 in 2024, they guaranteed Arizonans the right to access abortion care up to the point of fetal viability, which is around 24 weeks. The new law also includes exceptions for abortions beyond 24 weeks to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.
• But, even with those protections in place, advocates say more work needs to be done.
• “My biggest takeaway from Dobbs is that we can’t take what we’ve fought for and won for granted,” Hobbs said.
• She pointed to a number of bills the Republican-controlled Legislature introduced this year that she says she would have vetoed if they made it to her desk.
• “Even in the face of Prop. 139 passing overwhelmingly, clearly with Republican and Democratic votes, the Legislature still is not willing to understand that this is something Arizonans want, and that would have rolled back those rights,” Hobbs said.
• “Expensive court battles for Arizonans to pay for, but also just continuing that roller coaster ride for patients, for doctors not knowing what care they can get or provide,” Hobbs said.
• Advocates said the future of Prop. 139 could depend on the outcome of this year’s elections, though only voters can repeal that constitutional amendment.
• “So we are here to share the message that voters can’t be complacent,” Salman said.
• She pointed to a voter guide published by the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative anti-abortion group, which asked candidates for office in Arizona whether they support “a legislative referral that would ask voters to repeal Arizona Proposition 139.”
• Rep. David Schweikert, one of the Republicans seeking the party’s nomination to challenge Hobbs, said he would support that effort.
• Rep. Andy Biggs, who is also seeking the nomination, did not answer the question. In the past, he has staked out anti-abortion positions and opposed adding abortion protections to the state Constitution, according to The Center for Arizona Policy’s 2024 voter guide.

Arizona Capitol Times: Will abortion be a defining issue in Arizona’s general election?
Reagan Priest & Kiera Riley
June 25, 2026

• Arizona voters will stare down a dizzying array of issues on their ballots come November, but Gov. Katie Hobbs and reproductive rights advocates are pushing to make abortion one of the most important.
• On the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the governor joined local women’s health providers, college students and Reproductive Freedom for All advocates to make the case that abortion should remain a defining issue in 2026. 
• “We know that Prop. 139 didn’t magically take down a lot of barriers or erase some of the challenges for accessing (abortion) care,” Hobbs said on June 24.
• Hobbs has vetoed a handful of bills in the past four years related to abortion issues, including proposals instituting “fetal personhood,” requiring instruction on fetal development in public schools and regulating “partial-birth” abortions. She has also attempted to advance the repeal of a statute requiring providers to report data on abortion procedures to the state and to enhance protections for contraceptives.
• The two congressmen vying for the Republican nomination to take on the governor have both been vocal in their opposition to abortion during their time in Washington, D.C. 
• Congressmen Andy Biggs and David Schweikert have both described themselves as “pro-life” and have introduced or voted for federal legislation restricting access to abortion. 
• “The reason that they’re doing this is because they know in elections, especially in battleground states where we are very purple, one of the top disqualifying issues for a candidate is whether or not they have extremist stances on abortion.” 
• Reproductive Freedom for All announced plans to spend $23.5 million on a national campaign dubbed “My Body, My Ballot,” aimed at bolstering election bids for candidates like Hobbs and other Arizona Democrats who are supportive of abortion rights. 
• Salman said voters should consider reproductive rights when voting in down-ballot races as well, in the hopes of flipping the Legislature and preventing anti-abortion candidates from flipping Democrat-held statewide seats.
• Hobbs and Salman acknowledged that voters have a lot on their minds this year, especially as the nation wades further into a cost-of-living crisis. But they argued that abortion rights are connected to all of the most pressing issues at stake this year, including affordability.
• “It’s not just about advancing policies that protect access to reproductive healthcare and making sure that people feel like they can start a family safely, but also that we have the economic policies that support those families,” Hobbs told reporters. “… it is directly tied to people feeling like they can start a family in a community that will thrive, and so that is all part, to me, of the same agenda.”