Arizona's top court approve ballot initiative that refers to a fetus as 'unborn human'

The Supreme Court of Arizona is allowing a fetus to be referred to as an "unborn human" on a voter pamphlet. 

According to the Associated Press, the court issued the ruling on Wednesday.

The ruling is being considered a big win for pro-life supporters and a big loss for abortion activists.

To understand why, please, read on.

Here's what is going on:

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. In so doing, the justices returned the issue of whether abortion ought to be legalized to the people and their state legislatures.

In response, many states have placed bans on the practice, while other states continue to allow it. Arizona would fall under the ban category.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Abortions in Arizona are currently subject to a 15-week ban due to a law passed by Republican lawmakers in 2022 following the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to create gestational limits on such procedures, overturning nearly five decades of precedent under Roe v. Wade. The law provides exceptions for the life of the mother but not for rape or incest.

Now, a pro-abortion group called Arizona for Abortion Access is trying to change this law. To this end, the group has put forth a ballot initiative that, according to the Examiner, "if approved, would amend the state constitution to allow abortions up to around 23 or 24 weeks after conception and would restrict the state from adopting or enforcing any law that would prohibit access to the procedure."

This is something that Arizona voters will decide in the coming election. In the meantime, the two sides are fighting over the specific language of the initiative.

"Fetus" vs. "unborn human being"

If you are a pro-abortion activist group, then the last thing that you want is for a fetus to be referred to as an "unborn human being." This, however, is exactly what the current version of the ballot initiative does.

Now, Arizona for Abortion Access has filed a lawsuit looking to get "unborn human being" changed to "fetus."

The group claims that "unborn human being" is too prejudicial - that the phrase is too emotional - and that it, therefore, might cause some voters to vote against the initiative for this reason alone. The group claims, on the other hand, that "fetus" is a more impartial, less emotional, term.

While a lower court did agree with the activists, the Arizona Supreme Court has now approved the use of "unborn human being." Reuters reports:

The "unborn human being" phrase "substantially complies" with impartiality requirement in state law, Wednesday's ruling said.

While state Republicans and pro-life groups are celebrating the ruling, Arizona for Abortion Access has said that they are "deeply disappointed" by it.