By Maria Ortiz
May 2, 2024, 18:15 PM EDT
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday signed a repeal of the state’s near-total ban on abortion that has been in place since the Civil War era, capping a political fight sparked by a controversial Supreme Court ruling. state last month.
“I am pleased that today we end this draconian law that was passed by 22 men before Arizona was a state,” Hobbs said during the signing and surrounded by advocates for women’s reproductive rights.
The Democratic governor warned that, however, the work is not finished yet, since “There are still no” guarantees that protect women’s rights over their bodiesincluding access to contraceptive methods.
“In recent weeks, doctors have expressed to us their fears of being punished for doing their job, and there are even women who doubt that Arizona is a good place to have a family,” Hobbs highlighted.
Democrats in the state legislature, with the support of some Republicans, got the Arizona State Senate to approve the legislation on Wednesday, which was immediately sent to the governor’s desk for her signature.
Both parties faced strong political pressure ahead of the November presidential elections. after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated the controversial law on April 9.
The measure, enacted in 1864, made abortion a serious crime punishable by a sentence of two to five years in prison for the woman who performed it or to anyone who provided help for this purpose, including doctors and nurses.
The only exception to abortion contemplated in this law was in the event that the surrogate mother was in serious danger of losing her life.
The new law signed by Hobbs replaces the law passed before women could vote with one that was passed in 2022 by the same state legislature, which allows abortion up to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy and establishes exceptions for rape, incest or danger of death for the mother.
However, there is still a possibility that the 160-year-old legislation will apply for some time.
This is because the law signed by the Democratic governor will not go into effect until 90 days after the end of the current legislative session, which could still be extended for several weeks until the state budget is approved.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayers this week asked the Arizona Supreme Court for a 90-day period to decide whether to file an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Mayers indicated that the state would not be ready to implement this controversial law until June 27.
Hobbs assured that he will continue fighting in all possible ways to avoid at all coststhat legislation comes into force that practically eliminates abortion in the state.
Almost six months before the presidential elections, restrictions on the interruption of pregnancy will be decisive at the polls.
Currently, groups that defend women’s reproductive rights are collecting voter signatures to bring to the polls in Arizona a law that seeks to eliminate restrictions on the right to abortion in the state.
Keep reading:
– Arizona Supreme Court revives 1864 law that criminalizes abortion in almost all circumstances
– Biden condemns Arizona abortion ban as “cruel” and “extreme”
– Trump considers that Arizona went “too far” in banning abortion after defending states to regulate