Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed a repeal of the state’s 1864 abortion law on Thursday after the state’s Supreme Court ruled last month that the law, which protects unborn babies from nearly all abortions, could go into effect.
The abortion law repeal passed Arizona’s Republican-controlled legislature thanks to five Republicans — three in the state House and two in the state Senate — who voted with every Democrat. Upon signing the legislation, Hobbs said she would “do everything in [her] power to protect our reproductive freedoms,” AZ Central reported.
“Today we are doing what 23 governors and 55 legislatures refused to do, and I am so proud to be the ones that got this job done,” Hobbs said.
The state’s high court ruled in April that the 160-year-old law could go into effect. The law bans abortion in every circumstance except when the mother’s life is in danger. It also punishes anyone who aided in an abortion by two to five years in prison. Now that Hobbs has signed the repeal, state law will revert to a 15-week abortion limitation that was signed into law by former Republican Governor Doug Ducey in 2022.
The 1864 abortion law will be in effect for a short time since the repeal won’t take place until at least 90 days after the state legislature ends its legislative session. Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, however, said her “office is exploring every option available to prevent this outrageous 160-year-old law from ever taking effect.”
Following the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision, Democrats jumped at the opportunity to blame former President Donald Trump for the law taking effect with the Biden campaign saying the near-total abortion was “enforceable because Trump ended Roe.” Some Republicans, including Trump and Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, criticized the abortion law and called for the state’s legislature to address it.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America supported the state law and the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to allow its enforcement, calling it an “enormous victory for unborn children and their mothers.”
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Abortion could play a major role in the 2024 election as Democrats have already begun focusing on the issue to push young women to show up to the polls in November.
