The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on abortion. With four votes in favor and two against, the state Supreme Court upheld the state's abortion ban, rejecting the new law and reinstating the 1864 legislation.
This law effectively criminalizes almost all cases of abortion, making individuals who undergo the procedure and those who provide any form of assistance liable for prosecution. This law predates the founding of Arizona as a state. By judicial order, the legislation will take effect within 14 days.
The ruling overturns the current legislation that allowed the termination of pregnancy in the state up to 15 weeks.
The law comes with a sentence of 2-5 years in prison. It includes an extremely limited exception "when necessary" to save the life of the mother.
A message from Governor Katie Hobbs. pic.twitter.com/td2WbLBcIa
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) April 9, 2024
Arizona Democrats spoke out against the judges' decision. "The decision made today by the Arizona Supreme Court is unconscionable and an affront to liberty," Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. "Make no mistake, by effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago, the Court has put the health and lives of Arizonans at risk."
The White House also condemned the ruling. "We will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and will ask Congress to pass a law that restores the protections of Roe v. Wade," Joe Biden said in a statement shortly after the ruling was announced. Along the same lines, the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, claimed that the sentence only serves to create more "chaos."
Former President Donald Trump anticipated the ruling and spoke out about abortion yesterday. He claimed that it should be up to the states to decide. For this reason, he claims he will not advocate for or against it if reelected to the White House.
