Miranda (DINO) previously
served in the Arizona Senate, representing
the 27th electoral district from 2015 to
2019. She was a member of the Arizona House
of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. In
2018, Miranda ran in the Democratic primary
for Arizona's 7th congressional district in
2018, challenging incumbent Democrat Ruben
Gallego, but lost the nomination. In 2020,
she was defeated in her attempt to return to
the Arizona House of Representatives by
challenging the incumbents, Reginald Bolding
and Diego Rodriguez, in the Democratic
primary. Miranda was first elected in the
16th district, the same seat that her late
husband, Ben Miranda, had held. She was then
redistricted to the 27th district. Miranda
served on the Roosevelt Elementary School
District #66 Governing Board from 2008 until
her election to the state House of
Representatives.
1 Catherine
Miranda, who has
been running as a
Democrat throughout
her career, has
endorsed Republican
Michele Reagan for
secretary of state,
shunning Democrat
Terry Goddard and
his proven record as
an advocate for
reproductive justice
and LGBTQ rights. In
the 1980s, as the
mayor of Phoenix,
Terry Goddard helped
keep Planned
Parenthood patients
safe from disruptive
protesters, whereas
just this year
Michele Reagan voted
in favor of HB 2284,
which was designed
to harass patients
at clinics that
provide abortions.
2 In an even
more baffling move,
Catherine Miranda
has endorsed Doug
Ducey for governor.
Ducey is an
odd choice,
given that he is
opposed to marriage
equality and is
expected to sign a
bill similar to SB
1062 into law if it
comes across his
desk. He opposes
abortion unless the
mother’s life is at
stake, and is
advised by the
far-right Center for
Arizona Policy. Why
does Catherine
Miranda support Doug
Ducey’s candidacy?
3 Speaking of
the Center for
Arizona Policy,
Catherine Miranda
signed their
“pro-life pledge,”
which denounces
Roe v. Wade as
unconstitutional and
demands full
“personhood” rights
for fetuses at any
stage of
development.
4 Earlier
this year, Catherine
Miranda voted in
favor of
HB 2284, which
allows warrantless
inspections of
abortion clinics.
Previously, the
health department
already had the
ability to perform
immediate,
unannounced
inspections after
obtaining evidence
of health and safety
risks — but it
needed an
administrative
warrant first. There
was no evidence that
the previous
regulatory system
was failing, and
ADHS did not request
this legislation.
Rep. Miranda backed
it anyway.
This change has the
potential to violate
the privacy of women
seeking abortion
care, and is part of
a larger barrage of
aggressive bills
targeting women and
reproductive health
care that Arizona
has seen ever since
Rep. Miranda took
office in 2011.
5 In 2012,
Catherine Miranda
was the
only Democrat to
vote in favor of HB
2036, the bill that
banned abortion past
20 weeks — but that,
infamously, defined
pregnancy as
starting two weeks
before conception,
effectively banning
it at 18 weeks.
The bill put other
restrictions on
abortion as well,
including imposing
ultrasounds 24 hours
in advance and
requiring abortion
providers to have
admitting privileges
to local hospitals.
6 Also in
2012, Catherine
Miranda voted in
favor of
HB 2800, which
prohibited state
funding for abortion
providers.
Make no mistake,
there never was
state funding for
abortions — HB
2800 simply sought
to deny state
Medicaid patients
the ability to go to
Planned Parenthood
Arizona for
preventive health
care, such as
vaccinations; cancer
screenings, such as
Pap tests and breast
exams; and
family-planning
services, such as
contraception.
Luckily, PPAZ fought
the bill in court
and
won, ensuring
Medicaid patients’
right to choose
their own health
care providers.
7 Back in
2011, Catherine
Miranda voted in
favor of
HB 2384, a
similar bill that
targeted Planned
Parenthood Arizona.
The bill prohibits
Arizona taxpayers
from receiving the
Working Poor
Charitable Tax
Credit if they
contribute to an
organization that
provides abortions.
Now that this tax
credit can no longer
be claimed by donors
to Planned
Parenthood Arizona,
there is less
incentive to support
access to preventive
care, such as
gynecological exams,
STD screenings, and
Pap tests.
8 Also in
2011, Catherine
Miranda voted in
favor of
HB 2443, which
outlawed abortion
based on sex or race
— a classic solution
in search of a
problem, given that
sex- or
race-selective
abortion has never
been shown to be a
problem in Arizona.
The bill was
actually just
another attempt to
stigmatize the
procedure rather
than do anything to
address sexism or
racism. Now, those
seeking abortion
services in Arizona
must disclose their
reason for choosing
to terminate their
pregnancy and sign
an affidavit stating
that the abortion is
not for sex or race
selection.
9 In 2011,
Catherine Miranda
voted in favor of
HB 2416, which
prohibited certain
types of medical
professionals from
providing medication
abortion —
despite the fact
that these health
care providers had
been facilitating
medication abortions
for more than a
decade with
exemplary health and
safety records.
Abortion access was
disrupted in
Flagstaff, where
Planned Parenthood’s
health center was
forced to
discontinue abortion
services for its
rural clientele
until
earlier this year
(2014). The bill
also banned the
use of telemedicine
in providing
abortions, which
also restricted
access for rural
Arizonans.
10 Catherine
Miranda
received a
50-percent rating
from Stonewall
Democrats of
Arizona, is
classified as
“anti-choice” by
NARAL Pro-Choice
Arizona, and was
endorsed by
Arizona Right to
Life in 2012.
Her ratings with
Planned Parenthood
Advocates of Arizona
haven’t been too
hot, either.
This year, she
received a 67
percent rating from
us — worse than most
Democrats, better
than most
Republicans, but if
we handed out letter
grades that would
still be a D. In
2011, she
received only a 20
percent rating from
PPAA, which would be
an F!
Social Issues