Arizona House bill by Rep. Keshel mandates pregnancy support resources on state health websites

Newly passed bill authored by State Rep. Rachel Keshel aims to ensure that Arizona health websites prominently offer information on agencies assisting women during pregnancy and adoption, excluding abortion-related services, according to the Arizona State House.

It passed both chambers as of April 29, clearing the House by a vote of 32-26 and the Senate by a vote of 17-11.

The bill, introduced as HB2439 on Jan. 16, during the first regular session of the 57th Legislature, was formally listed with the short title: ‘website information; pregnant women’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that by Dec. 1, 2025, the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System must feature conspicuous links on their homepages directing users to information in both English and Spanish about public and private agencies assisting women during pregnancy, childbirth, and while their child remains dependent. These listings will exclude agencies related to abortion. The sites will provide details like services offered, addresses, phone numbers and website links. The bill specifies a separate webpage, accessible through AdoptionOption.AZ.gov, featuring non-abortion-affiliated adoption agencies, guidance for exploring adoption, options for choosing adoptive parents, and agencies offering free ultrasounds and confidential counseling. Information will be printable and downloadable easily.

In the House, 32 Republicans voted in favor while 26 Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 17 Republicans voted in favor while 11 Democrats voted against it.

Keshel introduced the bill in the Arizona House on Jan. 16 during the first regular session of the 57th Legislature.

The bill was co-sponsored by Jake Hoffman (Republican-15th District), and Leo Biasiucci (Republican-30th District), and Joseph Chaplik (Republican-3rd District), along with 12 others.

Jones graduated from Metropolitan State the University of Denver in 2002 with a BA.

Rachel Jones is currently serving in the Arizona State House, representing the state’s 17th House District. She replaced previous state representative Jennifer Pawlik in 2023.

The bill was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs on May 6.

In Arizona, the legislative process begins when a bill is introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. It is then assigned to one or more committees for discussion and possible amendment. If approved by committee, the bill proceeds to floor debate and voting in both chambers. If both chambers pass the bill, it is sent to the governor, who may sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. The Arizona Legislature convenes annually in regular session starting the second Monday in January. Lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each session, though only a portion make it into law. You can learn more about the legislative process on the Arizona State Legislature website.