Arizona lawmakers are weighing whether they should enshrine in statute rules governing access to feminine hygiene products for female prison inmates and regulating the treatment of pregnant prisoners.

If interest groups and lawmakers want to reduce abortions, it behooves them to follow science and increase access to contraception, not restrict it. Words have meaning. Facts are important. Scientific evidence should shape health care policy, not political rhetoric. SB1362 should receive a resounding “nay” from the responsible legislators in Arizona.

Unfortunately, the funding to support SB1088 is missing from initial budget proposals. Officials estimate we need $359,700 from the general fund plus $818,000 in federal Medicaid dollars to fund the program. While not an insignificant amount, the public health implications of failing to provide expectant mothers with dental coverage have a far greater cost. This is why I encourage the legislature to include funding for SB1088 in the final budget.

Minors who go to Arizona judges instead of their parents for permission for an abortion are given approval nearly three out of every four times they ask.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Trent Franks, R-Glendale, created an online furor June 12 with comments in a House committee hearing that “the estimates of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.”

Arizona is recording a 26 percent increase in the number of abortions performed in the state, but the state's top health official says the increase apparently is due to improved reporting.

A new lawsuit tries to block enforcement of a key part of a new Arizona abortion law taking effect Aug. 2.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy in most cases, making Arizona one of only a handful of states in the country with such a restriction.

The Arizona Senate has approved a bill that would shield doctors and others from so-called "wrongful birth" lawsuits.

An Arizona legislator wants to shield doctors from so-called "wrongful birth" lawsuits, which can arise if physicians don't inform pregnant women of prenatal problems that could lead to the decision to have an abortion.