ANA Supports Arizona Nurses Association in Condemning the State’s Recent Judicial Decision
CONTACT: NewsRoom@ana.org
Silver Spring, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA) stands with the Arizona Nurses Association (AzNA) in urging Arizona’s governing bodies to protect reproductive healthcare access in the state. ANA is dismayed by the April 9, 2024 decision made by Arizona’s Supreme Court to reinstate a 160-year-old abortion law.
Access to reproductive care is essential to the health of pregnant people. In March 2022, ANA affirmed that abortion is a reproductive health alternative that nurses can discuss when counseling patients. Nurses have a moral obligation to respect the decisions of their patients, including decisions related to sexual health and pregnancy; however, respect for patient decisions does not mean that the nurse must agree or support the decision.
The following quote is attributable to ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN: "It is extremely disappointing that Arizona would reinstate a law that predates the state itself and many advances in healthcare. I am thinking of all my fellow classmates and students from when I was in nursing school and a professor in Arizona who may be negatively impacted by this ruling. This is a tremendous setback for all Arizonans and will undoubtedly lead to poorer health outcomes in the state as pregnant people seek unsafe options for terminating a pregnancy. This decision will have a negative, cascading effect that will likely impact nurses, healthcare professionals and patients nationwide.”
ANA maintains that reproductive healthcare is a basic human right and echoes AzNA’s position that members of the Arizona State Legislative must ensure that further restrictions to reproductive healthcare access do not bring harm to patients and healthcare providers.
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The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's more than 5 million registered nurses. ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. For more information, visit www.nursingworld.org.