Arizona’s highest court ruled Tuesday that an 1864 law banning almost all abortions was applicable, a symbolic decision with important electoral implications a few months before the presidential election in this key southern state. UNITED STATES.
Having remained dormant for decades, it “is now applicable”
This law prohibits any abortion from the moment of conception, unless the mother’s life is in danger. Rape or incest are not considered valid exceptions. However, Arizona Attorney General, Democrat Kris Mayes, has long warned that she would not initiate any prosecution. Having remained dormant for decades, it “is now applicable”, according to a decision by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Its judges ruled that nothing stands in the way of its application since the constitutional protection of abortion was annulled in 2022, making each state responsible for legislating on the subject. While the law is not expected to be implemented in practice at the moment, the situation could change with elections – prosecutors are elected in the United States.
This decision therefore reinforces the electoral stakes in the run-up to the presidential election, in a key state where Joe Biden won against Donald Trump with only 10,000 votes ahead in 2020. On Monday, Donald Trump rightly emphasized wanting to let a free hand to American states to legislate on abortion, in the event of a return to the White House. “States will determine by vote or by statute, or perhaps both. Whatever they decide, it must have the force of law,” he said.
Abortion has been a battleground of the conservative movement for several decades, but the cancellation of the federal guarantee of the right to abortion has proven very unpopular with the general American public in several recent elections. President Joe Biden immediately denounced a “cruel” law.