Listen to State Representative Walt Blackman and Jacob Barr talk about about the state of Abortion in Arizona.
Summary
This is Jacob Barr, and on this episode of the Pro-Life Team Podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Walt Blackman, a dedicated pro-life advocate and current State Representative in Legislative District 6 of Arizona. Walt discussed the intricacies of Arizona law regarding abortion, particularly in the context of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Walt shared his commitment to pro-life legislation, which aims to protect the unborn and provide counseling for mothers and fathers. He highlighted Arizona’s existing statutes, specifically 111305, which categorizes the harm to an unborn baby due to neglect as first-degree murder. Walt’s legislation focuses on conception, contrasting the state’s 15-week abortion ban. He believes that post-Roe v. Wade, Arizona may lean towards enforcing the stricter pre-existing statutes.
Discussing the impact of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Walt stressed the importance of state sovereignty in legislating abortion laws. He plans to push for legislation at the federal level to define a fetus as a viable person, thus affording it protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Walt highlighted the disproportionate impact of abortion on Black, Brown, and Navajo communities, pointing out the high rates of abortion and Planned Parenthood’s strategic placement in these areas. He emphasized the need for education and alternative services for women considering abortion, especially in the context of Arizona’s strict laws.
As for the future of abortion availability in Arizona, Walt called for an end to funding Planned Parenthood with taxpayer dollars, advocating instead for genuine women’s health services. He discussed the challenge of medication abortions slipping through via mail and stressed the need for education on preventive measures.
Walt’s insights shed light on the complex and evolving landscape of abortion laws in Arizona and the role of state legislators in shaping these laws. His emphasis on the need for supportive services and education, along with strict legislation, paints a picture of a comprehensive approach to pro-life advocacy in the state.
Hashtags that match the contents of this podcast:
#ProLifeArizona, #WaltBlackman, #AbortionLaws, #RoeVWadeImpact, #StateLegislation, #ProtectingTheUnborn, #ProLifeAdvocacy, #ArizonaPolitics, #LegislativeAction, #CommunityImpact, #PlannedParenthood, #Women’sHealth, #EducationAndPrevention, #StateSovereignty, #ProLifeLegislation, #FetalViability, #FourteenthAmendment, #ProtectLife.
Transcript
The transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors.
Jacob Barr :
Welcome to the pro-life Team Podcast i’m Jacob Barr i’m here with Walt Blackman and we’re going to talk about Arizona law and how it is postured with abortion and how it protects life and what the future might hold for Arizona. So Walt, I am excited to have you on today on the pro-life Team Podcast would you introduce yourself as if you were talking to a small group of Executive directors of Tracy Clinics and maybe some pro-life Leaders?
Walt Blackman :
Ok. Well, thanks for having me on i do appreciate it i’m Walt Blackman, and I’m like the current state representative in Legislative District 6, which covers the majority of Northeastern Arizona. It is the second largest district in the United States, and it is a very diverse district. And because it’s so diverse, we have a lot of different issues and one of those issues are the rate of abortions that we see, you know on the Navajo Nation and the black and brown communities, which is at an alarming rate when it’s actually less than 3 % black Americans in Arizona. I am a pro-life advocate i have been my whole entire adult life. When I got into the legislative body, I decided to run some pro-life legislation that would protect the baby in the womb, would allow mothers to receive counseling along with the fathers. I think they’re have a important part in this too it’s just not a mother’s burden that she has to carry. It’s the young man’s responsibility to make sure that he is there with the mother. So the legislation I have that I have ran is actually speaks to the Arizona statute that’s already on the books, 1113 O 5 and that statute actually puts abortion in our Criminal Code 13 five is the Arizona statute Criminal Code and under that statute it does say that if a unborn baby is killed from neglect from anyone that it is considered first degree murder in Arizona. So it’s already on the statute. This past year we voted for a 15 week ban for abortion so the difference between my bill and the 15 week ban is that mine starts at conception and the 15 week ban actually started right then at 15 weeks where you can’t abort a baby. I do see that after Roe V Wade was lifted that Arizona will have to either choose the 15 week ban or the original statutes on the books. The people that I am talking to are actually leaning more towards the statute, the 13 five eleven O one thirteen O five which makes it a criminal act to abort a baby. And i the pro-life advocates that again as I as I’ve been speaking with around the state, they are for that statute. Of course it needs to be updated because it’s territorial law however, I think it can be in the next legislative body. When I go to Congress, I plan on running legislation and viability of the of a person. So what it does right now, the left and the Planned Parenthood groups, they can easily write abortion legislation because they are not defining the baby as a baby, they are defining the baby as a fetus. And as long as the baby is considered a fetus, then the type of legislation that you that you will see coming out of the left in the House and in the Senate will federalize to make abortions legal at states if you turn that in, you turn that to viability of livelihood of a person, then that baby falls under the fourteenth, amendment equal protection under law, which also we know protects all Americans and all citizens from harm and if anybody does harm that citizen, then they are subject to the Penal Code in the federal legislation and also on the state so that’s what I plan on doing.
Jacob Barr :
I know. So how does Roe being overturned, how do you think that’s going to affect future the future of legislation and laws when it comes to being the power being returned to the States and state, yeah, the state, you know the state of Arizona in this case having a voice on this. And I guess also what was it a, what was the numbers again for the Arizona statute that you mentioned was it you said eleven thirteen oh five OK.
Walt Blackman :
It’s an accrimation.
Jacob Barr :
Ok. So how do where do you see the future of you know what was that, When was that one written when was the eleven thirteen oh five?
Walt Blackman :
I couldn’t tell you when it was written. It it’s an it’s an old piece of legislation and it’s part of territorial law. It was carried over when Arizona became a state. So Arizona’s had the strictest abortion laws on the books since statehood or right before statehood. How Roe V Wade will affect states in particular, Arizona is that Roe V Wade we all know that Roe V Wade wasn’t law and it was opinion the Supreme Court does not make law they interpret the law and they give opinions based on those law, the only body that can make laws to Congress. The left knows this, and their narrative was always it’s law because it’s the Supreme Court. We know that the left knows that the Supreme Court ruling Roe V Wade was never lost because they are trying to push federal legislation to federalize election federalized abortions to make those abortions legal in all the states. So they knew it was never law. So they aren’t an active method, the method and road to do this and states can protect themselves by, first of all, exercising your statehood, their sovereignty, and writing strict abortion laws into their state legislative process and into their state constitution that’s how they’ll be able to protect themselves, because this will go back down to the states where it belongs and the federal government, based on the how the law is written, they can’t interfere with states. So the tenth Amendment plainly lays it out that states have the power to mandate if they feel like laws are unconstitutional.
Jacob Barr :
Can you speak more to how abortion has impacted the Black, Brown and Navajo communities more so than the Caucasian or European groups perhaps?
Walt Blackman :
Yeah, when you, when you look at the Navajo Nation, the majority of Navajo Nation, the people of Navajo Nation, indigenous people typically are Democrats so they have bought into that however, Democrats that have actually cornered the market on the Navajo Nation or Indigenous nations, they haven’t really talked to them about the effects of abortion they merit it off as women’s Health and choice. But they’re not really talking about the effects on their communities and generations to come when we’re talking black and brown, I can particularly speak to the black community 3rd the black community as a whole we occupy 13 % of the country. However, 48 % or 38 % of the abortions are by black women are performed on black women in the later terms and we’re talking this seventh eighth and ninth month so this is clearly not Women’s Health is more of an extinction so if you remember Margaret Sanger when she said I don’t want the word to go out, that we want to exterminate the black race, Thus comes Planned Parenthood, Roe V Wade and as a result of that, the population, the black community should be at 16 %. It is sitting, hovering around 13 % of the voter base. So it was clearly a plan to weed out and disterminate, exterminate the black community in a way that would it would cut down on our percentage of representation in the country. The brown the brown community the Latino community is isn’t a similar is in a similar type of issue here in Arizona there are more Latino abortions because the Latino population is of course higher than the black population. So per capita, you’re going to see more Latino abortions. You’ll you won’t find a Planned Parenthood like in places affluent places like Fountain Hills are. Beverly Hills are these at fluent white communities you just won’t find them there you’ll find them on the outskirts, but you won’t find them behind the closed, locked gates going into communities however you drive through a black or brown community, you will find that there are more Planned Parenthoods in these types of communities than there are anywhere in the United States when?
Jacob Barr :
It comes to abortion being available in Arizona. What’s the future hold for that when it comes to Planned Parenthood being allowed to provide surgical abortions in Phoenix and Tucson and Arizona?
Walt Blackman :
Well, first of all, we can’t fund these Planned Parenthood organizations with any taxpayer dollars that needs to stop. We know that abortion procedures are their revenue, their cash bank and they get more dollars for abortions than they do for Women’s Health preventive methods and counseling. So I would like to see if Planned Parenthood is going to have any type of role in this new age of the Roe V Wade being overturned that they actually do what they’re supposed to do. And when we’re talking about for giving the programming, the counseling, the mitigation of tools to prevent a pregnancy, so abortion doesn’t become the only option for these women that go in a big, a big part of it is also is Women’s Health and then I understand the difference between Women’s Health and infanticides are Women’s Health and a six month abortion. I understand those are different. Those efforts are not Women’s Health. They’re using abortion as birth control, and that’s what Planned Parenthood is doing i’d like to see them stick to the counseling and also the preventive measures in Women’s Health, mammogram appointments and so on and so forth so they can they can effectively take care of women when they walk through their doors.
Jacob Barr :
So with Roe versus Wade being overturned and returning that power to the states, which state, which state officials or state positions in local government might be the most impactful? And you know which ones have been impacted the most by having the power returned to the states that was previously under Roe was captured by the federal level based on that Supreme Court ruling of Roe. So like which positions might have the biggest influence on abortions being well allowed or not allowed at the state level like which? How would that be? I’m not. Yeah, City Council mayor, you know who’s who are the most important roles that are that have now been empowered by Roe being overturned.
Walt Blackman :
So actually as a state as a whole, the whole state’s going to be impacted. So it actually is also going to depend on what party is the majority. You’ll have some states like California where the assembly or the legislative body is the Democrats. So you’ll see more abortions allowed in those blue states. You’ll see more some of those states, the red states like Arizona that are for life and against abortion, that the legislative body will be able to make those adjustments through law and that law will trickle down to cities and towns i have also spoken with some mayors and some City Council folks where they are actually making ordinances in Arizona to turn their cities into a Second Amendment sanctuary city, which means that parent Planned Parenthood is not allowed in their cities in some of their cities and they would be fined so you have local government doing something and you have the national or the state government doing something and it just depends on the majority.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah, it seems like there’s a lot more. Yeah the amount of influence in the pro-life and abortion arena has. Yeah, it is like everything from the school board on up. I feel like there is a there’s room for people to get involved to who care about life and who care who have good principles integrity to make a more of an impact today than we than we did under Roe i feel like there’s greater room to have a positive influence now.
Walt Blackman :
Yeah, we also need to make sure that we are offering services for these women that are pregnant. We can’t just say they’re, you know, if you if you get an abortion, you’re breaking the law. We have to make sure that our DCS, Department of Children’s Safety, our services, their adoption agency portion that it is streamlining people that want to adopt of these babies they have an opportunity that the foster carers claimed that there is appropriate funding and resources to all these five O1 CS that want to give an alternative to an abortion rather than not giving those alternative because what we will see are people crossing into other states where abortion is legal and we may see some folks doing backdoor abortions which could really harm the person. So we have to make sure that we are, we are, we are staying ahead of this curve, a Roe V Wade as state legislators to protect and care for these folks that are pregnant.
Jacob Barr :
When it comes to surgical abortions, it feels like that is being, you know, legislated but when it comes to the medicated abortions and the abortion pill, it feels like that’s very easy for that to slide through the post office and for someone to gain access. There doesn’t seem to be much of AA gate to control abortion pills or medicated abortions. And if someone has, when someone has a complex situation, they’ll probably just be encouraged to go to the and say something other than they took an abortion pill if it’s not allowed, they’ll probably be encouraged to say something else.
Walt Blackman :
Yeah, I can see that happening. And that’s where education plays a big part in this instead of educating our kids on it’s OK to end their life, it’s OK to kill a baby, How about we educate on preventive measures? You can’t go to any high school and go into a nursing office and that nurse, our practitioner does not have a contraceptive, have contraceptives. In most cases those things are free. We’re at a time where there are more measures to mitigate abortion rather than or mitigate being getting pregnant before they’re pregnant then afterwards. So I do see that slipping through and it’s just going to depend on what states are going to do, how strict they’re going to get. Arizona has no law on books for that because we didn’t foresee Roe V Wade, this passed legislation really being overturned. So, sure, when the Arizona House of Representatives in the Senate go back into session in January that they’ll you’re going to see bills that either support folks able to get that stuff in the mill, are that are opposed to it and have those penalties.
Jacob Barr :
Well i’m excited yeah i’m excited that we have pro-life people working and I’m just and I guess the prayer is that more people will stand up and run for different levels of government office the Who have a pro-life You know, a desire for life to be protected and to be cherished with value and as something that yeah is should be equally protected regardless of, you know, how old or where it is. So thank you so much for your time i really appreciate. Yeah, hearing some of your intellectual, your thoughts on the abortion law here in Arizona and I just. Yeah thank you so much for being on this podcast.
Walt Blackman :
Thanks so much and I do appreciate you.