Democrats in Arizona's Legislature will introduce a repeal bill for the third week in a row on Wednesday. 1864 Abortion Prohibition It is set to take effect after a state Supreme Court ruling earlier this month ruled that a 160-year-old law banning nearly all abortions — barring the practice in all cases other than saving the mother's life — could be enforced. .
If allowed to take effect on June 8, it would overturn the current law, which allows abortions up to 15 weeks into pregnancy.
Two Previous attempts Republican Speaker Ben Toma failed to get enough support for a vote to change the rules to repeal the 1864 Act by Democrats.
When asked Tuesday how he felt about the Democratic repeal effort in the Arizona state legislature 1864 Abortion Prohibition Before it took effect, Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton laughed.
“I was told we might get a clean cancellation tomorrow, but you know, who knows, right?” Stahl Hamilton said. “Who knows who loses their nerve, you know, the night before daylight? Or the minutes before, you know? I know we have to keep trying. And the people of Arizona have to do everything we can to stop this. Ban it.”
Good pictures
On April 17, an attempt to lift the ban through a temporary rule change fell one vote short. With the support of two Senate Republicans, the upper chamber was able to move forward with a first reading of the repeal bill, but it needs two more readings before it can be brought to a vote.
Toma has been a vocal critic of Democrats on abortion. A Report Released immediately after the Arizona Supreme Court ruling, Toma said the Legislature would “take the necessary time to listen to our constituents and carefully consider appropriate measures rather than enact legislation on a topic of this magnitude without substantial debate.”
He said in his statement, “In the Democrats' view, partial-birth abortion would be permitted, and while there is no sign of repealing Section 160, minors can have abortions on demand without parental consent or a court order.” A year-old law allows one.
Arizona Senate Democrats have cast doubt on the future of any repeal efforts moving forward in the House. Stahl and Hamilton acknowledged that getting Republican support to lift the ban would be a tall task. Although they seem to have the numbers for it, she worries that they might change their minds at the last minute.
Democratic state senate. Eva Burch told CBS News that the Republican caucus in Arizona is fractured and can't agree on how to address the prospect of a Civil War-era abortion ban taking effect.
“I have no hope that the withdrawal is certainly not the way it should be – not the way it's called for. We're already past that point,” Burch said.
“So I think they'll get together and do the right thing?” Burch went. “I don't believe that's what's going to happen.”
Democratic state senate. Anna Hernandez said she doesn't believe in any repeal effort, but noted that “anything can happen.”
The Legislature met on Wednesday morning to once again try to resolve the issue.
Arizona Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, is calling on legislators to oppose those efforts and plans to organize at the state capitol as well.
