Arizona Republicans blocked Democrats’ bid to overturn a contentious abortion prohibition from 1864, which was upheld by the state Supreme Court earlier this month.
NBC reported that Democrats attempted to present a bill repealing the prohibition at a state House legislative session on Wednesday. However, two votes to consider the bill failed.
“I would ask everyone in this chamber to respect the fact that some of us believe that abortion is, in fact, the murder of children,” Republican House Speaker Ben Toma stated, according to NBC.
Many Republicans have criticized the prohibition, including former President Donald Trump and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, both of whom are up for reelection later this year. (However, Lake hailed the restriction while campaigning for governor two years ago.)
Trump, for his part, said last week that the ban went too far. “That will be straightened out,” he stated. “And I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason.”
The law effectively prohibits abortion, including in cases of rape and incest, except when a pregnant woman’s life is in danger. It makes performing or assisting someone with an abortion a felony punishable by up to five years in jail.
Prior to the prohibition, Arizona allowed abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.