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Abortion rights supporters demonstrate at the Arizona State House of Representatives in Phoenix on April 17, 2024.
CNN
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The Arizona House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn the state’s 160-year-old abortion ban, setting the stage for a repeal that would leave the state’s 15-week abortion limit in place.
The vote comes after state House members tried twice last week to bring the bill to the floor. Arizona Republican candidates announced earlier this month that the state must comply with an 1864 law that bans all abortions except when “necessary” to save a pregnant woman’s life. They are eager to distance themselves from the state Supreme Court’s decision. The law also imposes a prison sentence of two years to five years for abortion providers.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is expected to sign the repeal bill, which would also have to pass in the state Senate if lawmakers introduce it.
If repeal is defeated, the 1864 law could go into effect as early as June 8, making Arizona one of more than a dozen states that ban abortion at nearly all stages of pregnancy, with a few exceptions. It will be one of them. If successful, Arizona’s 15-week limit on abortions would remain state law.
In March 2022, months before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a 15-week limit for the state with no exceptions for rape or incest. The Act specifically states that it does not overturn the 1864 Act.
The Civil War-era abortion ban dates back to when Arizona was a territory and was codified in 1901. It remained in effect until 1973, when it was prohibited by a court injunction after Roe v. Wade created a federal constitutional right. To abortion.
Abortion rights advocates are currently working to put a constitutional amendment on the state’s November ballot that would protect abortion access until the fetus’s lifespan, which doctors believe is around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. . Arizona for Abortion Access, a group supporting the amendment, has collected more than 500,000 signatures. Supporters need to submit 384,000 valid signatures by July 3 to appear on the general election ballot.
Ahead of the Arizona House vote, the House Rules Committee announced along party lines three House rules that are largely believed to be Republican-backed ballot measures aimed at competing with the Abortion Rights Amendment. Voted to approve the delayed introduction of the resolution.
