CASA GRANDE, Arizona – Former Arizona legislator Nancy Barto, who was defeated for reelection in 2022 after progressives targeted her over championing pro-life legislation, spoke to a church in Casa Grande Thursday evening about Proposition 139.
Barto (pictured above) told the group of 158 at Cowboy Church of Pinal County about the negative ramifications of the measure, dubbed the “Right to Abortion Initiative,” which is almost certain to be on the ballot this fall.
The proposition legalizes abortion up to nine months, including partial-birth abortions, removes requirements that doctors be involved, eliminates parental consent, and removes penalties for those who assist with obtaining abortions. Arizona’s current abortion law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks.
Organizers collected more than twice the number of signatures necessary for the constitutional amendment to make the ballot, she said, so it is very doubtful any legal challenge will be able to find enough invalid signatures to get it removed.
Barto, whose website about Prop. 139 is ItGoesTooFar.com, said it’s a lie that partial-birth abortions are rare. She said the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute admitted there are over 10,000 partial-birth abortions per year, and most are elective. Barto said once it is legal in Arizona, the number will go up.
Barto said the law removes “common sense safety standards” that could result in “uterine perforation, infection and hemorrhaging, incomplete abortions, undetected ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and death.”
In place of doctors, Prop. 139 allows “health care professionals” to provide abortions, Barto said. Arizona law states that health care professionals include athletic trainers, veterinarians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, dentists, massage therapists, podiatrists, and optometrists.
This is a concern, she said, since 60 percent of abortions are now performed by pill, so there is no one around to assist women if they have complications. One out of every 25 females who take an abortion pill ends up in the emergency room, she said.
The part of the law that allows partial-birth abortion and other abortions after fetal viability says that they are acceptable if it relates to the mother’s health. Barto said this has been interpreted very broadly by courts to allow abortion.
Due to the law stating that laws cannot penalize those who assist in obtaining abortions, Barto said rapists and medical professionals who perform bad abortions could escape liability.
Since it’s a constitutional amendment, Barto warned that the Arizona Legislature will not be able to modify or repeal it. The only action they could take would be to refer a referendum to the ballot to deal with it.
She said her team will be outspent, but pointed out that money will have diminishing returns since “the people are with them.”
Barto said she decided to champion the right to life after hearing about an incident at a local high school. “My husband Joe and I were involved years and years ago when we found out that a 14-year-old girl had been taken out of school by a school nurse, and didn’t find out that she had had an abortion without their knowledge until she ended up with complications in the emergency room,” she said. “And we looked at each other … how can this be? We had three young daughters at the time. There certainly should be a law, right?”
Seven local pastors joined Cowboy Chapel Pastor Ryan Dale on the stage after Barto spoke, with each one praying for a different aspect related to Prop. 139. They are part of ArizonaProLifePastors.org.
State Representative Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) spoke briefly afterwards, telling attendees how the Arizona Legislature drafted language to describe Prop. 139. The Republicans came up with the descriptions “pregnant woman” and “unborn child.” However, the Democrats insisted on “pregnant individuals” and “fetus.” When the Republican majority would not concede, the Democrats sued them over it.
Martinez concluded her remarks to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. “I’m not afraid of losing an election, but I’m afraid of God.”
Pastor Dale ended the evening, “If this amendment passes, you and I will live in a state where the voters have decided that women and only women — exactly no protection for any unborn baby. There is no mention of children. There is no mention of their future. This amendment is all about giving preferred status to half the citizens of this state. … Never a mention of a man.”
A couple of Arizona Republican legislators crossed lines to vote with Democrats earlier this year repealing Arizona’s old pro-life law, which went into effect after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. They reasoned that Prop. 139 would have less support if the strict older law was no longer in effect. Read the language of Prop. 139 here.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on X / Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photos by Rachel Alexander.
