Affirming a 160 year old shutdown of abortion access in Arizona by the state’s highest court has had profound results statewide and elsewhere….
“The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban still on the books in the state is enforceable, a bombshell decision that adds the state to the growing lists of places where abortion care is effectively banned,” NBC News reports.
“The ruling allows an 1864 law in Arizona to stand that criminalized abortion by making it a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performs or helps a woman obtain one.”
Arizona Republic: “The state Supreme Court’s ruling puts a stark choice before voters: Choose the new reproductive rights measure or watch abortion policy turn back to the 19th century.”
“That black-and-white choice, as well as an anticipated increase in turnout by Democrats because of the ballot measure, could also affect races in the state Legislature or other offices.”
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“Republican lawmakers and candidates for Congress are scrambling to create distance between themselves and an Arizona Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday upholding a near-total ban on abortion in the state,” Axios reports.
“It’s part of the difficult political balancing act Republicans have had to perform since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.”
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“Obviously I think Roe should be overturned… We have a great law on the books right now. If that happens, we will be a state where we will not be taking the lives of our unborn anymore.”
— Kari Lake, speaking about Arizona’s 1864 abortion law in 2022.
“I oppose today’s ruling.”
— Lake, earlier today, after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld enforcement of the 160-year old law.
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President Biden condemned a decision by Arizona’s Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold an 1864 ban on nearly all abortions as “cruel” and “extreme,” saying the law was first enacted well before women even had the right to vote, the New York Times reports.
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“Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Tucson, Arizona on Friday just days after the state’s Supreme Court upheld one of the nation’s most far-reaching abortion bans,” Politico reports.
“The campaign trip, which was already in the works prior to the court decision, will likely take on a heightened focus on abortion rights and access. On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 160-year old law that outlawed abortion at any stage unless the life of the mother was in danger. There are no exceptions for either rape or incest.”