Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Signs Repeals 1864 Abortion Ban

After Arizona lawmakers voted to repeal the state’s Civil War-era abortion ban, the legislation was signed into law by state Gov. Katie Hobbs (D). It will preserve access to the procedure for millions of women.

There is a potential political downside for Democrats, who had been using the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision last month upholding the law to boost outrage and voter turnout ahead of the election in November.

President Joe Biden and other Democrats on the ballot have spent the last several weeks focusing on the law, which prohibits abortion starting at conception except to save the life of the mother. They have highlighted the law’s unpopularity, which polling shows a little more than a third of voters support, and argued the law as being outdated, passed before women had the right to vote.

At the same time, Republicans have been trying to address the court’s decision for fear of its impact on their success in the state in November, a presidential battleground and key in determining control in the next Congress.

Three Republicans joined all 29 Democrats last week to pass the repeal in the state House. On Wednesday, two Senate Republicans joined all 14 Democrats in their chamber to approve the bill.

The repeal leaves an existing restriction on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy in place, a provision that polling shows most voters agree with. Fifteen-week laws are “incredibly popular across the board, not just in Arizona but all across the nation,” director of state public affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Kelsey Pritchard said in a statement.

However, Democrats and abortion-rights advocates argue that banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy interferes with a woman’s right to choose. They also don’t believe that campaigning for 15 weeks in Arizona will be as successful a strategy as their opponents hope. 

In November, Arizona voters will likely get to vote on an amendment to the state constitution, which would restore abortion rights to a Roe V. Wade standard.