Republican anxiety over near-total anti-abortion policies has led to an unlikely, if temporary, alliance between Democrats and a few Republicans, mostly in battleground states, and allies of former President Donald Trump. There is. They include U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, who reversed her initial stance on the ban and personally appealed to Republican lawmakers to repeal the law.
Trump, considered the likely Republican presidential candidate, boasts of his role in overthrowing the government. eggimmediately expressed dissatisfaction with the Arizona ruling, saying the state Supreme Court had gone too far and promising that the ruling would be “corrected” by “the governor and everyone else.”
Despite this high level of pressure, Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives blocked two previous ballot attempts to repeal the law.Last week, the state House Speaker Ben Thoma (R) urged his colleagues to think slowly and carefully about what he called a “very complex topic.” On Wednesday, Thoma lamented the rush to get the bill through parliament.
There are three Republicans in the House of Representatives. — Sens. Matt Gress, Tim Dunn and Justin Wilmes — voted across party lines Wednesday with all Democrats in the chamber. After the vote, the Speaker removed Gress from his coveted assignment to the House Appropriations Committee.
“This law is not perfect,” Dunn said. statementShe emphasized that she personally opposes abortion. “Unfortunately, protecting women whose lives are at risk and holding them accountable in cases of rape and incest were not considered when this bill was passed.”
Even if the bill repealing the 1864 law were approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, the near-total abortion ban could still be in effect for several months. Bills generally take effect 90 days after the end of Congress. If enacted, the law will ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill now heads to the state Senate, where all Democrats and at least two Republicans would need to support it. The Senate has already advanced a repeal bill, suggesting Republicans may support the bill approved by the House on Wednesday. The earliest the Senate could vote on the House bill would be May 1, according to legislative staffers, based on the House’s schedule.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) would then have to sign the bill, which she says she intends to do.
In an interview Wednesday, Hobbs emphasized the time-sensitive nature of the repeal effort. The ban would ban all abortions except those necessary to save the life of a pregnant person and would impose prison sentences for abortion providers. He said he was relieved that the House of Commons had voted to repeal the 1864 law, which had caused “chaos and confusion”.
“I’m hopeful that the Senate will take the right steps and send the document to my desk so I can sign it,” Hobbs said. If that happens, she said, she is “hopeful” that the state Supreme Court will consider the repeal as a reason to keep the old law in place.
“It would be devastating if this ban continued for any period of time,” Hobbs said.
Several Republican members of Congress who supported the Abortion Act of 1864 expressed extreme dissatisfaction with their bipartisan colleagues who called for its repeal.
“I’m tired of this day,” said state Rep. Rachel Jones (R). “Life is one of the tenets of our Republican platform. It would be awful to me to see people go back to that value.”
Immediately after the ruling was released, resistance to the ruling appeared in some parts of the Republican Party. arizona announced by the Supreme Court. Hours after the decision, several Republican state lawmakers released a statement condemning the 1864 law and calling on their colleagues to repeal it. They included Gress and Sens. Shauna Bolick and TJ Schopp are all from swing districts that are expected to compete in November.
The next day, Gress took steps to suspend House rules in order to introduce a motion to repeal the law, a move that surprised and angered many of his Republican colleagues. When he was shut out by the Republican majority, Democrats shouted “Shame, shame, shame!”
Over the past two weeks, anti-abortion groups in Arizona and across the country have announced that theyOn the verge of a cave” in a text and email campaign reminding them of their commitment to the anti-abortion cause.
“If you’re so weak as a member of Congress that you suddenly change your views on abortion because you’re worried about re-election, that shows me you’re a politician, not a leader,” said party president Kristan Hawkins. The national anti-abortion group Students for Life is lobbying Republican lawmakers in Arizona.
After the state Supreme Court’s decision, Kathy Herrod, president of the conservative Arizona Policy Center, argued that abortion is not the defining political issue that Democrats claim it is. Herrod has been at the forefront of anti-abortion efforts and has shaped the state’s debate over reproductive laws for decades.
“Republicans don’t win or lose elections on abortion,” she said. “Border security, gas, rent and groceries are top of mind for Arizona voters.”
Several Republican lawmakers vehemently opposed it in interviews last week, recognizing that many voters in battleground states don’t want a near-total abortion ban.
“Doing nothing is not an option,” said state Sen. Ken Bennett, who represents conservative areas and previously presided over the state Senate and served as secretary of state. “If we don’t repeal the 1864 law… there are probably two or three Republicans who won’t have a chance of getting elected or getting re-elected.”
Even Arizonans who fiercely oppose abortion are unsure where exactly Congress should draw the line. Over the past few weeks, many people have gathered at the Capitol to voice their opinions on this issue.
Mesa resident Caroline Helton, 64, said she is very concerned about a referendum likely to appear on the ballot in November that would protect abortions up to the term of viability, or about 24 weeks. Ta.
“I’m not totally against abortion, but it’s gone too far,” Helton said, adding that he hopes lawmakers will eventually agree to keep the 15-week law in place. I hope.
Deborah Tyler, 71, said the 1864 abortion ban was “contradictory” in part because it did not include exceptions for rape and incest. Tyler, who lives in the Phoenix area, said she has “no idea.”
“I don’t draw a hard line,” she added while standing outside the state Capitol last week. “I will ask.”
Abortion rights advocates called on lawmakers to immediately repeal the ban.
“Many people on both sides of the aisle said last week that it’s the right thing to do, and we’re asking them to speak out,” said Arizona State of Arizona, an advocacy group for abortion access. said spokeswoman Dawn Penich. Referendum on abortion.
Kitchener reported from Washington.
