Arizona's Democratic leaders make final push to repeal 19th century abortion ban

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PHOENIX -- Democrats successful the Arizona Legislature are expected to marque a last propulsion Wednesday to repeal the state’s long-dormant prohibition connected astir each abortions, which a tribunal said tin beryllium enforced.

Fourteen Democrats successful the Senate are hoping to prime up astatine slightest 2 Republican votes to triumph last support of the repeal bill, which narrowly cleared the Arizona House past week and is expected to beryllium signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

The near-total ban, which predates Arizona’s statehood, permits abortions lone to prevention the patient's beingness — and provides nary exceptions for survivors of rape oregon incest. In a ruling past month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could beryllium prosecuted nether the 1864 law, which says that anyone who assists successful an termination tin beryllium sentenced to 2 to 5 years successful prison.

If the repeal measure is signed, a 2022 statute banning the process aft 15 weeks of gestation would go Arizona’s prevailing termination law. Still, determination would apt beryllium a play erstwhile astir each abortions would beryllium outlawed, due to the fact that the repeal won’t instrumentality effect until 90 days aft the extremity of the legislative session, apt successful June oregon July.

Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, who opposes enforcement of the 19th period law, has said that the earliest the authorities tin enforce the instrumentality is June 27, though she has asked the state’s highest tribunal to artifact enforcement for a three-month play ending sometime successful precocious July. The anti-abortion radical defending the ban, Alliance Defending Freedom, maintains that region prosecutors tin statesman enforcing it erstwhile the authorities Supreme Court’s determination becomes final, which hasn’t yet occurred.

Arizona is 1 of a fistful of battleground states that volition determine the adjacent president. Former President Donald Trump, who has warned that the contented could pb to Republican losses, has avoided endorsing a nationalist termination prohibition but said he’s arrogant to person appointed the Supreme Court justices who allowed states to outlaw it.

The instrumentality had been blocked since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade determination guaranteed the law close to an termination nationwide.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned successful June 2022 though, then-Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, persuaded a authorities justice that the 1864 prohibition could again beryllium enforced. Still, the instrumentality hasn’t really been enforced portion the lawsuit was making its mode done the courts. Mayes, who succeeded Brnovich, urged the state’s precocious tribunal against reviving the law.

Planned Parenthood officials vowed to proceed providing abortions for the abbreviated clip they are inactive ineligible and said they volition reenforce networks that assistance patients question retired of authorities to places similar New Mexico and California to entree abortion.

Advocates are collecting signatures for a ballot measurement allowing abortions until a fetus could past extracurricular the womb, typically astir 24 weeks, with exceptions — to prevention the parent’s life, oregon to support her carnal oregon intelligence health.

Republican lawmakers, successful turn, are considering putting 1 oregon much competing termination proposals connected the November ballot.

A leaked readying papers outlined the approaches being considered by House Republicans, specified arsenic codifying existing termination regulations, proposing a 14-week prohibition that would beryllium “disguised arsenic a 15-week law” due to the fact that it would let abortions until the opening of the 15th week, and a measurement that would prohibit abortions aft six weeks of pregnancy, earlier galore radical cognize they’re pregnant.

House Republicans person not yet publically released immoderate specified projected ballot measures.

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