Arizona's Democratic governor signed a bill overturning an 1864 law banning abortion, a month after the state's supreme court said the Civil War-era rule was valid.

Arizona

In a significant move for reproductive rights, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has officially signed a bill that repeals an 1864 statute prohibiting abortions in the state. This development comes after the Arizona Supreme Court acknowledged the validity of the Civil War-era legislation just a month earlier. The original 1864 law made abortions illegal from the moment of conception, providing no exceptions even in cases of rape or incest.

The repeal was secured after a narrow 16-14 vote in the Arizona Senate, where it received crucial support from two Republican senators who chose to cross party lines. The action taken by Governor Hobbs overturns a prohibition that was established before Arizona attained statehood, during a period when women did not have the right to vote and the nation was engulfed in the Civil War.

This legislative turnaround is particularly notable in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, removing the federal constitutional right to abortion and delegating the authority to regulate abortions to the states. The reevaluation and repeal of the 1864 ban mark a pivotal moment for Arizona, highlighting the state's shift towards addressing and realigning with the reproductive rights and needs of its residents.

The move is also underscored by its political timing, occurring in a presidential election year where Arizona is positioned as a crucial swing state. This decision not only reflects the ongoing national debate over reproductive rights but also indicates the potential impact Arizona’s voters could have on the upcoming presidential election.



Arizona governor signs bill repealing 1864 abortion ban

A historic moment, as on Thursday, Arizona's Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill to repeal a ban on most abortions in the state. A ban that was passed by 27 men before Arizona was even a state, a time when America was at war over the right to own slaves, a time before women could even vote. 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. The bill was passed by the Arizona Senate in a 16-14 vote on Wednesday, after two Republican senators crossed party lines in order to vote in favor of repealing the ban. The law, established in 1864, bars abortion from the moment of conception, with no exceptions for rape or incest. It was revived last month after Arizona's top court ruled the ban could be enforced following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Since that reversal ended the constitutional right to abortion, it has been left up to states to individually decide the issue. For this Democratic state representative, the repeal marks an important step in the right direction. And here we are in the present looking forward to the future, the ways in which we need to continue to push and to move our state so that it meets the needs and the desires of the people of Arizona. The reproductive rights battle is taking place in a presidential election year, with Arizona considered a key swing state, where voters are likely to play a decisive role in who wins the White House.

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