Governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs (D), chastised Republican lawmakers for their criticism of a court decision on Tuesday that upheld an 1864 statute that criminalized abortion in the state.
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Hobbs stated that the verdict made earlier today is “reeling” on Arizonans and called the decision “very harmful” for the state. As soon as she assumed office, she added, she called on the legislature to lift the “archaic ban.”
Hobbs went on, “At the start of this legislative session, I renewed that call.” “The truth is that some of the Republicans who are currently criticizing this ruling for going too far are the same politicians who applauded the Dobbs ruling, which cleared the path for today’s court decision.”
She said, “And the Senate President and the Speaker of the House both weighed in on this case with amicus briefs, urging the court to do exactly what it did today.”
The Arizona Supreme Court denied arguments on Tuesday that it should maintain the current 15-week abortion restriction, which was put into effect following the conclusion of Roe v. Wade and signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R). Rather, the court decided that the 1864 statute, which was established before Arizona became a state, ought to be upheld.
A legislation from the Civil War era declares performing or assisting someone who is pregnant to be a crime, with a potential two to five-year jail sentence. Additionally, it only permits exceptions “when it is necessary” to preserve the life of the pregnant individual, not in circumstances of rape or incest.
Republicans who have supported abortion restrictions, such as Kari Lake, the GOP nominee for the Senate, have stated they disagree with the decision.
Hobbs urged lawmakers “to do the right thing right now and repeal this 1864 ban and protect access to reproductive health care” earlier on Tuesday. On Tuesday, she restated that the executive order that was signed the previous year prohibits county attorneys from bringing charges against women and physicians who obtain or perform abortions.
She clarified that the executive order has not yet been put to the test, saying that it “just prevents an extreme county attorney from using this ban to criminalize women and doctors for seeking the care that their patients need and would provide consolidation with the Attorney General.”
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