Arizona allowed to refer to ‘unborn human’ in abortion voter guide

Arizona’s top court has ruled that an unborn baby can be referred to as a “human being”, in an official guide to the US state’s upcoming vote on liberalising abortion law.

In November, Arizona will vote on increasing the abortion limit from 15 to 24 weeks. Under the proposals, abortion would also be allowed up to birth if the mother’s physical or mental health were deemed to be at risk.

Pro-abortionists claimed the term “unborn human being” was biased, but the state’s Supreme Court said it “substantially complies” with impartiality requirements.

Impartial language

Lawyer Kory Langhofer highlighted that the phrase is factually true, and is already used in the state’s current abortion law.

He stated that the law requires a description to be written “in clear and concise terms avoiding technical terms whenever possible.”

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma said the ruling is “correct” and said the proposed law change “essentially allows unrestricted abortions up until birth”.

‘Embryos are children’

Earlier this year, Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and that anyone who destroys one could be held legally accountable.

The judgment was in relation to a case brought by three couples whose embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic. Their original claim had been dismissed by a lower court, which said the law only applied to foetuses inside the womb, not embryos outside of it.

But the state’s top court overturned that ruling, explaining: “Unborn children are ‘children’ under the Act, without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics.”