For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Oct. 26th, 2022

Contact: Josselyn Berry, Jberry@azdem.org

“Unbelievably Devastating”: Incest Victim Denied an Abortion in Arizona

Kari Lake Does Not Support Exceptions for Rape or Incest 

PHOENIX–Arizona’s ban on abortion is having a devastating effect as Dr. Jill Gibson,  a medical director for Planned Parenthood Arizona, described in a traumatizing example during a roundtable discussion this week with reproductive health providers.

Gibson told the story of a patient who became pregnant because of incest but did not realize it until she was more than 15 weeks into her pregnancy. The patient said that the only thing she needed to recover from the trauma of the incest was to terminate the pregnancy, but Gibson had to tell her she wouldn’t be able to obtain an abortion in Arizona. The patient had to travel to California to obtain an abortion, she said. “To not be able to offer her that service is unbelievably devastating,” Gibson said. 

Kari Lake, who has a long and well documented history of supporting the most extreme abortion bans, does not support exceptions for rape or incest. She’s said, “I am pro-life 100%. I’m against abortion.” During an interview last Sunday, when Mike Broomhead asked whether Lake would sign legislation allowing exceptions in cases of incest or rape, Lake lied: “I believe the 15-week bill does have that.”  Arizona’s 15-week ban on abortion does not have exceptions for rape or incest. 

“In Kari Lake’s Arizona, she’d force this victim of incest to give birth further traumatizing and harming the victim.  These experiences are only going to become more common, and under a Lake administration there will be devastating consequences. When Lake says she has no interest in changing the current law she is saying does not care about women in situations like this. She has no interest in allowing exceptions for rape or incest. She has no concern for Arizona women, period,” said Josselyn Berry, spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Party.