Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX Rejecting fears by doctors they could get arrested, Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a new law restricting who can get an abortion.
The measure, which takes effect later this year makes it a Class 6 felony to terminate a pregnancy if the woman is seeking the procedure because of a fetal genetic defect. The verbiage is so broad that it also could result in similar charges and potentially a year in state prison for nurses and others who assist, potentially including clerical staff.
Ducey praised the measure. There s immeasurable value in every single life, regardless of genetic makeup, the governor, who has been a foe of abortion, said in a prepared statement
Ducey signs controversial abortion bill
Rejecting fears by doctors they could get arrested, Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a new law restricting who can get an abortion.
The measure, which takes effect later this year, makes it a felony to terminate a pregnancy if the woman is seeking the procedure because of a fetal genetic defect. The verbiage is so broad that it also could result in similar charges and potentially a year in state prison for nurses and others who assist, potentially including clerical staff.
In signing the bill, Arizona becomes one of only a handful of states with such a restriction.
UpdatedTue, Dec 22, 2020 at 8:33 am MT
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Maricopa County hospital beds are filling up. Find out how many are in use right now. (Shutterstock)
PHOENIX Even as vaccines begin rolling out to health care workers and offer a powerful tool to fight the pandemic, coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations continue to hit record highs across the U.S.
The latest hospitalization data shows that at least 100,000 Americans or more have near consistently been in the hospital for coronavirus in December. In Arizona, the state has seen multiple days in a row with deaths numbering in the hundreds this month. As of Monday, approximately 461,345 Arizonans have contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic and at least 7,972 have died.
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PHOENIX Health officials in Arizona reported 7,748 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Monday and one new death.
The figures bring the total number of cases to 461,345 since the pandemic began and 7,792 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. The numbers often are lower on Mondays because of a lag in weekend reporting.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
COVID-19-related hospitalizations continue to surpass what Arizona saw during the summer surge with 3,925 hospitalizations reported as of Monday. Only 8% of all hospital beds and ICU beds were available and not in use.