Arizona GOP strategy document implores party to show 'Republicans have a plan' on abortion

PHOENIX — Republican state legislators in Arizona are considering pushing alternative ballot measures competing with a proposed constitutional amendment expanding abortion rights in the state, according to a PowerPoint presentation obtained by NBC News, as the GOP faces the fallout from a state Supreme Court ruling upholding a near-total abortion ban.

The strategy document includes a slide titled: “PHASE 2: SEND VOTERS TWO OTHER OPTIONS THAT CONFLICT WITH AAA INITIATIVE,” in reference to the Arizona for Abortion Access ballot measure, which aims to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution through fetal viability and vastly expand the scope for exceptions.

The document outlines a plan to give the voters alternatives to the Arizona for Abortion Access ballot measure, presenting options for other constitutional amendments like the “15-week Reproductive Care and Abortion Act and Heartbeat Protection Act.”

And the document also discusses presenting voters with an option for a limit on abortions after 15 weeks that would actually be a stricter ban.

“Could scale back 15-week law to 14-week law,” reads the presentation. “In reality, a 14-week law disguised as a 15-week law because it would only allow abortion until the beginning of the 15th week,” it goes on.

The document also acknowledges that both of those time frames represent an "arbitrary number of weeks" of the pregnancy and that it would be considered a disadvantage to move a measure that "solidifies" that number in the state constitution.

The Arizona state Legislature is slated to reconvene on Wednesday as pressure mounts from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, to repeal Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban.

State House Speaker Ben Toma said in