Arizona Democrats seek to repeal 1864 abortion ban, but need Republican
help
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 [April 17, 2024]
By Liliana Salgado and Daniel Trotta
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Democrats in the Arizona House of Representatives on
Wednesday will seek to repeal an 1864 ban on abortion that is poised to
become state law once again, but they will need the help of some
Republicans in the closely divided legislature.
A state Supreme Court ruling on April 9 revived a ban on nearly all
abortions under a law written during the U.S. Civil War when Arizona was
not yet a state and women lacked the right to vote.
The law, which would take effect within 60 days, imposes a sentence of
two to five years for anyone found guilty of inducing an abortion except
for a doctor who deems it necessary to save the life of the mother.
The ruling added fuel to a raging debate across the United States over
abortion rights ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Democrats, confident that public opinion is on their side in supporting
abortion rights, have sought to elevate the issue since the U.S. Supreme
Court rescinded the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and
Republican-led states went about setting new restrictions.
Arizona House Democrats sought to repeal the ban a week ago, but were
thwarted by the narrow Republican majority.
Democrats said they will try again in Wednesday's session, scheduled to
start at 10 a.m. MST (1 p.m. ET, 1700 GMT).
With Republicans holding a 31-29 advantage, Democrats would need at
least two Republicans to join them to succeed. If the repeal passes in
the House, Democrats also would need help in the Senate, where
Republicans hold a 16-14 edge.
Democratic Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, sponsor of the
repeal bill, said she was still counting votes late Tuesday and had been
in contact with sympathetic Republicans.
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People protest in the district of Republican State Representative
Matt Gress after Arizona's Supreme Court revived a law dating back
to 1864 that bans abortion in virtually all instances, in
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. April 14, 2024. REUTERS/Rebecca Noble/
File Photo
"Nothing is certain until we show up tomorrow," Stahl Hamilton said.
While crossing party lines on such an issue is rare in highly
partisan times, a repeal in Arizona of the 1864 ban would leave in
place a 2022 Republican-passed law that bans abortion after 15 weeks
of pregnancy.
Some Republicans have softened their hardline stance on abortion,
mindful of the same polling that has emboldened Democrats. Arizona
Democrats are attempting to place a ballot measure before voters in
November that would restore abortion rights.
One influential anti-abortion voice urged Republicans to stand by
previous pledges to ban abortion unless needed to save the life of
the mother.
"Arizonans deserve lawmakers they can trust. They want elected
officials who keep their word, especially when it concerns human
life," Cathi Herrod, president of the advocacy group Center for
Arizona Policy, said in a statement.
Stahl Hamilton said Herrod's warning "certainly ups the pressure" on
Republicans.
(Reporting by Liliana Salgado in Phoenix and Daniel Trotta in
Carlsbad, California; Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler)
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