PHOENIX (AP) – The Arizona Legislature on Wednesday approved the repeal of nearly all long-pending abortion laws, sending the bill to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is expected to sign it.
In the Senate, two Republicans joined Democrats in voting 16-14 in favor of overturning the Civil War-era abortion ban that the state Supreme Court recently upheld. The ban on all abortions, which makes no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest and only allows procedures performed to save the patient's life, will remain in place until the fall.
Hobbs said in a statement that a ceremony is scheduled for Thursday and he looks forward to signing the repeal quickly.
“Women in Arizona shouldn't have to live in a state where politicians make decisions between women and doctors,” Hobbs said. “This repeal is essential to protect women’s lives, but it is only the beginning of our fight to protect reproductive health care.”
Associated Press correspondent Mike Hempen reports on the vote by state lawmakers on Arizona's abortion ban.
In Arizona, one of the few battleground states that will decide the next president, the revival of a 19th century law has put Republicans on the defensive.
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement Wednesday that “women across America are living in conditions of chaos and brutality caused by Donald Trump.” “Arizona Democrats have worked to clean up the devastating mess created by Trump and his extremist allies, but the state's existing ban with exceptions for rape and incest It remains valid.”
If the repeal bill is signed into law, the 2022 law banning surgical abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy will become the abortion law in effect in Arizona. Still, the repeal would not go into effect until 90 days after Congress adjourns (probably in June or July), which would likely result in a period during which nearly all abortions would be illegal.
Within hours of the vote, efforts were already underway to prevent the old anti-abortion law from going into effect before repeal became a reality.
“Without an emergency provision to make the repeal effective immediately, Arizonans could still be subject to a near-total ban on abortion for a period of time this year,” Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays said in a statement. “Rest assured, my office is considering all options to prevent this outrageous, 160-year-old law from taking effect.”
Planned Parenthood of Arizona announced Wednesday afternoon that it has filed a motion asking the state Supreme Court to block the moratorium on abortion services until the Legislature's repeal takes effect.
The near-total ban on abortion was in place even before Arizona became law. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that doctors could be prosecuted under an 1864 law that says anyone who facilitates an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison. He suggested that there was. And last week, a repeal bill was introduced. Barely clear Arizona house.
The vote on the bill lasted more than an hour on Wednesday amidst passionate speeches.
“This is about a Civil War-era ban that criminalized doctors and made virtually all abortions illegal,” Democratic state Sen. Eva Birch said. “We are here to abolish bad laws. We respect the laws regarding women that were enacted at a time when women were prohibited from voting because their voices were considered inferior to men. I don’t want you to.”
Birch announced on the Senate floor in March that she was carrying a non-viable pregnancy and was planning to have an abortion. She warned reproductive rights supporters Wednesday that she cannot rest easy even after the repeal is signed.
“They are going to use every tool in their toolbox to do everything they can to thwart the repeal of this ban,” she said.
There was a lot of confusion from those on the Senate floor as Republican state Sen. Shauna Bolick explained that she joined Democrats in voting in favor of repeal.
Bolick appeared to argue that repeal would prevent extreme voting activity by abortion rights advocates. She is married to state Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, who voted to allow the 1864 abortion law to be reenacted.
“I want to protect our state constitution from unrestricted abortion,” the senator said. “I'm here to protect more babies. I vote yes.”
Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue gathered in the Arizona State Senate to make their voices heard.
An elementary school girl knelt in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary and prayed while a man with a megaphone yelled at passersby to repent.
Former President Donald Trump warned that the issue could lead to losses for the Republican Party and avoided supporting a national abortion ban, but appointed a Supreme Court justice who allowed states to outlaw it. He said he was proud of that.
The Arizona law had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.
But when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, then-Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, convinced a state judge that the 1864 ban was invalid. may be enforced again. Still, while this case is making its way through the courts, the law has not actually been implemented. Mr. Mays, who succeeded Mr. Brnovich, sued the state high court to oppose reinstatement of the law.
Planned Parenthood system officials said they will strengthen their support network for patients who travel out of state to obtain abortions in states such as New Mexico and California.
Advocates argue that abortion should not be performed until the fetus is viable outside the womb (usually about 24 weeks), with exceptions, to save the parent's life or protect the parent's physical or mental health. We're gathering signatures for a ballot measure to approve it.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are considering putting one or more competing abortion proposals on the November ballot.
