Arizona lawmakers made a significant move on Wednesday by taking steps to block a Civil War-era abortion ban. State senators repealed the measure, which the Arizona Supreme Court recently deemed as permissible.
The near-total ban was repealed in a vote that largely followed party lines, with two Republican state senators, Sen. Shawnna Bolick and Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, diverging from the GOP majority in the chamber to support the repeal.
Related posts
The nineteenth-century law not only imposes prison terms for doctors and others who aid in an abortion but also bans abortions in all situations except life-threatening medical emergencies.
The repeal is set to be signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Earlier in the day, Hobbs informed reporters that she would promptly sign it once it reaches her desk.
Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman attempted to introduce a motion before the final vote on the repeal. His motion aimed to mandate the notification of law enforcement for certain abortions. However, Senate President Warren Petersen deemed the motion out of order and shut it down.
During the voting process, Bolick took the opportunity to deliver a heartfelt speech that lasted for more than 20 minutes. In her speech, she shared personal anecdotes about her own pregnancies as well as stories of other women’s experiences with pregnancy. Additionally, she touched upon her appointment to the Senate in 2023 and also expressed her criticisms of Hobbs.
Several Republican lawmakers joined forces to express their disapproval of the repeal during lengthy speeches on the Senate floor. Sen. Anthony Kern, a Republican from Glendale, went as far as criticizing those who voted for the repeal while still claiming to oppose abortion, describing their stance as the height of delusion.
More than 100 demonstrators and individuals with opposing views on abortion gathered outside the Senate building in anticipation of the vote. They expressed their opinions through signs and banners. Inside the Senate gallery, dozens of people were present, and tensions ran high as lawmakers engaged in heated exchanges.
On April 24, Arizona’s House of Representatives paved the way for the repeal, after weeks of political turmoil caused by a state Supreme Court ruling that upheld the ban as the law of the land.
After signing it, Hobbs will set the repeal to take effect 90 days after the last day of the year’s legislative session.
State Attorney General Kris Mayes has already made it clear that she will not enforce the Civil War-era ban or any other anti-abortion law. Mayes is supported by an executive action by Hobbs, which grants authority over abortion-related prosecutions to the Attorney General’s Office.
In 2022, the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court made the law a critical concern for abortion rights.
Abortion opponents seized the opportunity to challenge the longstanding stay on the law in Arizona following the court’s ruling. This ban, which dates back to 1864, received support from the state Supreme Court in April, prompting bipartisan backing for its repeal among Democrats and Republicans in swing districts.
