In a significant legal decision on Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old abortion ban that had been in place even before Arizona became a state. This ruling means that doctors performing abortions could face imprisonment for up to five years.
Trump press secretary says Trump “supports” the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an 1864 near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for health, rape, or incest pic.twitter.com/a7K1hpBPNv
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) April 9, 2024
The contentious issue of reproductive rights is now set to play a pivotal role in the upcoming November elections, where both President Joe Biden and his Republican challenger, Donald Trump, have a strong chance of winning
In a statement issued almost immediately after the news broke, Biden slammed the “cruel ban.”
The Arizona Supreme Court ruling allows an 1864 abortion ban to go into effect. There are no exceptions for rape and incest, and it threatens doctors and nurses with prison time.
It does not have to be this way. Congress must restore the protections of Roe. pic.twitter.com/JGdA7RNI2W
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 9, 2024
Referring to the 2022 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, Arizona’s highest court upheld a century-old abortion ban that traces its origins back to the Civil War era. Remarkably, this law was in effect even before Arizona achieved statehood, and it remained dormant for decades after the nationwide legalization of abortion in 1973. Notably, during the time this law was drafted, women in the United States did not yet have the right to vote.
The recent legal ruling in Arizona, included a 14-day stay on enforcement. Adding to the complexity of the situation, Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has publicly declared that she will not enforce this ruling, deeming it “unconscionable” and “an affront to freedom.”
The ruling by Arizona Supreme Court in favor of an abortion ban from 1864 is brutal, backwards, and barbaric. pic.twitter.com/ZTYrfMDs9I
— Rep. Shontel Brown (@RepShontelBrown) April 9, 2024
“Today’s decision to reimpose a law from a time when Arizona wasn’t a state, the Civil War was raging, and women couldn’t even vote will go down in history as a stain on our state,” she said.
“This is far from the end of the debate on reproductive freedom, and I look forward to the people of Arizona having their say in the matter.
“And let me be completely clear, as long as I am Attorney General, no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law in this state.”
Republicans were “ripping away” women’s rights. “Millions of Arizonans will soon live under an even more extreme and dangerous abortion ban,” Biden said in the statement.
Following the recent legal ruling, which coincided with de facto Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s statement, he expressed support for allowing states to determine their own abortion regulations.
Trump emphasized his involvement in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that had established a national right to reproductive freedom more than half a century ago. According to Trump, the current state of abortion law aligns with the desires of the American people.
Yesterday: Trump says he supports extreme abortion bans across the country
Today: Arizona upholds an 1864 near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest pic.twitter.com/ikpK9s2uCx
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) April 10, 2024
In a video shared on his Truth Social network, the former President Donald Trump expressed his stance on abortion, asserting that it should be a matter left to individual states.
“And whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case, the law of the state.”
Biden said if he secures re-election and the Democrats regain full control of Congress, he intends to advocate for the restoration of federal abortion rights as a legal framework .
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