#Arizona HB2677

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jaclyn Lee, Libby Cathey, Isabella Murray, Mike Pappano, and Gina Sunseri at ABC News:

Three Republicans on Wednesday joined Democrats in the Arizona House to vote to repeal the state's controversial 1864 ban on nearly all abortions, which was revived by a court ruling earlier this month and which only includes exceptions to save the life of the pregnant woman.

The final vote was 32-28. "I've known for a while that the votes were there, it just takes a lot of fortitude, a lot of spine," Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, who sponsored the bill, told ABC News' Jaclyn Lee. Hamilton said she had several phone conversations with Republicans the night before the vote and while she would not divulge the details of those conversations, she said it made her cautiously optimistic. "The eyes of the world were watching Arizona, and that's not hyperbole, and so these are decisions that we need to make for people and if you were able to talk to folks in these districts, you would find that this is an issue where they are showing up and representing the people in their district, which is what they were elected to do," Hamilton said. The bill now heads to the state Senate where it could be taken up next week.

[...] The Senate on Wednesday separately conducted a second read of its own abortion ban repeal bill, without objection, setting up a parallel vote -- though that is likely moot now because the House bill has been approved. Two Republican senators have already said they will support the repeal effort, signaling the House bill should pass that chamber and then go to Gov. Katie Hobbs' desk to be signed into law. The repeal of the abortion ban would then take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, which must be before June 30.

[...] But leading conservatives like Trump, former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Senate candidate Kari Lake have touted their general support for abortion restrictions while saying they don't back the 1864 ban.

On Wednesday, the Arizona House of Representatives voted 32-28 to repeal the 1864 near-total abortion ban. 3 Republicans crossed over to vote to repeal, along with all Democrats.

Next stop: the State Senate and then Gov. Katie Hobbs (D)'s desk.

See Also:

The Guardian: Arizona house votes to repeal state’s near-total ban on abortion

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Alanna Vagianos at HuffPost:

The Arizona Senate on Wednesday repealed the 1864 near-total abortion ban that the state Supreme Court greenlighted in a shock ruling last month. The state Senate voted to pass the repeal in a close vote, 16-14, with two Republicans voting to repeal the near-total ban. The state House voted to repeal the ban last week, and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) is expected to sign the repeal soon. A spokesperson for the governor said she will not sign the repeal on Wednesday. The majority of Republicans were frustrated with Democrats, who they claimed were “rolling” or fast-tracking the bill. There were no initial readings of the bill, although state Sen. Anna Hernandez (D) read the one-line bill on the floor during discussion. The floor debate over the repeal spurred outbursts from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as people from the public watching the vote from the gallery. One Republican, state Sen. Wendy Rogers, said the 1864 abortion ban “got it right,” suggesting that life then is the same as life in 2024. State Sen. Anthony Kern (R) agreed, adding that the abortion ban that predates Arizona statehood was the “best abortion ban in the nation.” Kern also compared repealing the 150-year-old abortion ban to the Holocaust.

While the vote is a huge turning point for abortion rights advocates in the state, the ban will unfortunately still be in effect for a window of time. The ban prohibits nearly all abortions except for when the pregnant person’s life is at risk. It also carries a felony punishment of two to five years in prison for providers. Despite the repeal, the near-total abortion ban will go into effect — likely as early as June 27, according to the state’s Attorney General Kris Mayes (D). The repeal, once signed by Hobbs, will not go into effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends. The legislative session doesn’t have a specific end date; in past years the session has ended in late June, but in 2023 the session didn’t end until August. The near-total abortion ban could potentially be in effect through the summer and fall, possibly even through the general election in November. Mayes has vowed to not enforce the abortion ban during the window it’s in effect.

Arizona's antiquated abortion ban from 1864 is set to be repealed, as both Houses passed it, and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) is set to sign it into law. The repeal won't take effect until 90 days after the legislative session ends.

Arizona, however, will have a 15-week abortion ban in the books until at least November.