Arizona Senate advances 15-week abortion ban, expected to pass in House, signed by Gov. Ducey

The Arizona Senate has voted in favor of outlawing an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, taking a major step getting such a ban enacted into law ahead of the much anticipated Supreme Court decision that change the application of the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case in states across the nation.

The Arizona body is controlled by Republicans, and the vote came over the objections of minority Democrats who argued that the ban is unconstitutional and will disproportionately harm minority women.

The bill was modeled after the Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks, which the high court is now weighing.

"The state has an obligation to protect life, and that is what this bill is about," Nancy Barto, the Republican sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday amid the vote. "A 15-week-old baby in the womb has a fully formed nose, lips, eyelids, they suck their thumbs. They feel pain. That’s what this bill is about. ... I believe our constitution stands clearly for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the first part of that is life."