Democrats are stunned
Arizona may reactivate ‘cruel’ 1864 abortion law
April 9, 2024, 10:01 p.m
In 1864, Arizona was not yet a state and a civil war was raging. Everything long forgotten. But a tough abortion law is probably being reactivated from this ancient time. Democratic politicians are horrified. However, it could help them in the election campaign.
A 160-year-old law that bans almost all abortions can be enforced again in Arizona. The state’s highest court ruled that Arizona can reinstate the long-dormant law that only allows abortion if the mother’s life is in danger.
The case was about whether the 1864 law could be applied even though it was enacted before Arizona became a state. It does not allow abortions even in cases of rape or incest. The Supreme Court had reviewed a decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals that barred doctors from being prosecuted for performing abortions within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.
An earlier court decision had blocked enforcement of the 1864 law shortly after the Supreme Court struck down the country’s right to abortion in June 2022. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, then-Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, persuaded a state judge in Tucson to lift the block on the 1864 law.
His Democratic successor, Kris Mayes, then asked Arizona’s highest court to follow the Court of Appeals’ ruling and leave the 1864 law inactive. “Today’s decision to reinstate a law from a time when Arizona was not a state, the Civil War was raging and women weren’t even allowed to vote will go down in history as a blot on our state,” Mayes said.
“Cruel and regressive decision”
Tucson-born Democratic politician Raúl Manuel Grijalva wrote on Platform the importance of the upcoming elections in November.”
The presidential elections in the USA will take place in November. Republican candidate Donald Trump recently advocated leaving abortion regulations to the individual US states. They have had sovereignty over abortion laws since a landmark ruling in June 2022.
Democrats support abortion rights. US President Joe Biden condemned the decision in Arizona as a “brutal ban”. He accused the Republicans of “snatching away” women’s rights. Arizona is one of the so-called swing states that ultimately decide the outcome of presidential elections. It is possible that the polarizing issue is costing Republicans there votes among women.