Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would repeal the state’s near-total abortion ban, which dates back to 1864.
The bill will now go to the state Senate after all 29 House Democrats and three Republicans voted in favor of repeal.
The ban was put on hold by the Arizona Supreme Court earlier this month.
The law, enacted before the state of Arizona, had no exceptions for rape and incest, as long as the mother died.
Arizona Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban
PHOENIX, April 16 (Reuters) – Arizona residents took to the streets Tuesday to rally for abortion rights in response to the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to enact an 1864 law banning abortion. (Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“MAGA Republicans have spent the last week lying about their position on abortion, knowing that every time abortion is on the ballot, Democrats win,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano said after the bill passed. Because there are.”
Republican Rep. Rachel Jones, who voted against repealing the ban, said Wednesday: “I’m tired of today. Life is one of the tenets of our Republican platform. It’s great to see people returning to those values. It’s terrible for me.”
Arizona House Speaker Ben Thoma (R) said he was “very disappointed” in the bill’s passage.
“We should not have rushed this bill through the legislative process,” he said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “Pre-law legislation has been in the works for decades, was readopted by Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature in 1977, and signed by Democratic Gov. Raul Castro.
“The wise and responsible thing to do would have been to let the courts decide on the constitutionality of the pre-Roe law. Instead, we are rushing to a decision for reasons that are completely incomprehensible.”
Pro-life activists rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. (Stephanie Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Thomas added in part, “I strongly disagree with my Democratic colleagues who advocate extremism through unlimited, unrestricted, unregulated abortion. Abortion is not medical care. Abortion kills lives. Abortion. Abortion kills the most vulnerable in our society, just because the child may not want the child. It does not mean that it is not valuable or has no inherent value.”
He added, “Arizonas do not want abortion on demand, abortion at birth, abortion of children without parental consent, or unsafe abortions that endanger the health of pregnant women and their children. I do not support the killing of unborn children. I will vote against it for 15 weeks.”
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said she plans to sign the bill if it passes the Senate. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
The 160-year-old law went into effect in 2022 after the repeal of Roe v. Wade, but is being challenged in court and has not yet been implemented.
The state’s Republican Party is facing pressure from former President Trump and former Arizona Sen. Kari Lake to repeal the law as the election approaches.
Wednesday’s passage marked Democrats’ third attempt to pass the measure, which had previously been blocked by Republicans.
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The Senate is expected to pass a bill to repeal the law, and Democratic Gov. Kate Hobbs said she plans to sign the bill, which would leave the state with a 15-week abortion ban.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
