The Arizona government has agreed to get rid of a very old rule against almost all abortions on Wednesday. The bill will now go to Gov Katie Hobbs, who is from the Democratic party and is likely to approve it.
Two members of the Republican party and members of the Democratic party in the Senate voted 16-14 to get rid of a ban on abortions that has been in place since the Civil War. This ban was recently allowed to be enforced by the state’s highest court. The ban on all abortions is still in place. It doesn’t have any exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, and only allows for procedures done to save the patient’s life. This will continue until the fall.
Hobbs said she’s excited to sign the repeal soon, with a ceremony planned for Thursday.
Hobbs said that women in Arizona shouldn’t have to live in a state where politicians are making decisions that should be made between a woman and her doctor. “The repeal is needed to save women’s lives, but we still have a lot more to do to protect healthcare for women. ”
Reviving a law from the 1800s has made Republicans in Arizona feel like they are in a difficult position. Arizona is one of a few states where the outcome of the election will be very important.
“Women all over the country are experiencing chaos and cruelty because of Donald Trump,” said Vice-President Kamala Harris in a statement on Wednesday. Arizona Democrats are trying to fix the problems caused by Trump and his followers, but the state’s ban on abortion, with no exception for rape or incest, is still the law.
If the repeal bill is signed, a new law will make it illegal to have an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in Arizona. However, for a period of time, almost all abortions may become illegal, because the repeal will not take place until 90 days after the end of the legislative session, which will probably be in June or July.
Efforts started immediately to stop the old abortion ban from happening before the repeal happens.
Arizona’s Attorney General Kris Mayes said that without a special rule, the people of Arizona might have to follow the almost complete ban on abortion for some time this year. “Don’t worry, my office is looking at every choice we have to stop this old law from happening. ”
Planned Parenthood Arizona asked the state’s highest court to stop a temporary halt in abortion services until the law changing the rules is in place.
The law that mostly stops abortions has been around since before Arizona became a state. Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court said that doctors could be charged with a crime for helping with an abortion. The law from 1864 says that anyone who helps with an abortion can go to jail for two to five years. Last week, the repeal bill barely passed in the Arizona House.
Voting on the bill took over an hour on Wednesday, with emotional speeches.
Democratic state Sen Eva Burch said, “This is about a law from the Civil War time that makes it a crime for doctors to perform almost all abortions. ” “We’re here to get rid of a law that is not good. ” I don’t think we should follow laws about women that were made when women were not allowed to vote because people thought their opinions were not as important as men’s.
Burch said on the Senate floor in March that she had a pregnancy that wasn’t going to survive, so she was going to have an abortion. On Wednesday, she told supporters of women’s ability to choose to have children that they still need to be careful, even after the law is changed.
“They will use all available resources to try to stop the ban from being lifted,” she said.
Many people in the Senate gallery caused disturbances while Republican state Sen Shawnna Bolick explained her vote to repeal a law and sided with the Democrats.
Bolick said that getting rid of the law would protect against very strong abortion rights proposals. She is married to Clint Bolick, who is a judge, and he voted to allow a law from a long time ago about abortion to be enforced again.
The senator said he wants to make sure that our state constitution limits the number of abortions. “I am here to keep more babies safe. ” I say yes when voting.
Supporters and opponents of abortion came to the Arizona Senate to speak out about their opinions.
A young girl prayed in front of a statue of Mary at school while a man yelled at people to ask for forgiveness.
Ex-president Donald Trump didn’t support a national abortion ban, but he’s happy he chose Supreme Court judges who allowed states to make it illegal. He’s worried it could make Republicans lose elections.
The Arizona law was stopped after the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Roe v. Wade case in 1973. Wade’s decision made sure that women all over the country have the right to get an abortion.
When the decision of Roe v Wade was canceled in June 2022, the former Arizona Attorney General, Mark Brnovich, who is a Republican, convinced a state judge that the ban from 1864 could be enforced again. However, the law has not been put into action while the case was going through the courts. Mayes, who took over for Brnovich, asked the state’s highest court not to bring back the law.
Planned Parenthood will make sure that patients can go to New Mexico and California for an abortion if they need to.
Supporters are gathering signatures for a vote to make it legal to have an abortion up to around 24 weeks into a pregnancy, with exceptions for when the parent’s life is in danger or to protect her physical or mental health.
Republican politicians are thinking about having different plans about abortion on the November voting list.