All three state lawmakers now say they will likely vote to repeal the Civil War-era law banning abortion statewide in the near future. Voting could take place as early as Wednesday.
Like many conservative members of Congress across the country, they have long expressed a seemingly unwavering moral view that abortion is a problem. This is an abominable act that must be stopped. But then there was a nationwide uproar over the decision. The Arizona Supreme Court last week upheld an 1864 anti-abortion law that imposes prison sentences for abortion providers, but the backlash could hurt Donald Trump’s presidential election in the state he narrowly lost four years ago. There were also concerns that it may have sexual characteristics.
The change of direction by state Sen. Shona Bolick, Rep. Tim Dunn, Rep. Matt Gress, and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake is a sign of growing concern within the Republican Party over the abortion issue heading into November. It’s exposing a huge crisis.Ruling overturning U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling Roe vs. Wade Although state legislators passed practical decisions on whether to allow access to abortion, many Republicans are now pushing back against the long-held, often religiously-rooted sentiment that has defined the Republican Party for generations. They are torn between their views and the more realistic desire to win elections.
In recent days, Lake, who once described the 160-year-old bill as “a great piece of legislation,” has emphasized the political stakes of the impending vote and personally lobbied some Republican lawmakers to repeal the ban. It is carried out. “I understand,” said one lawmaker who received the call and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. [the pre-Roe ban] That would be bad for her and bad for Trump. The congressman said they discussed how important Arizona was to Trump securing the presidency. Trump lost the state to President Biden in 2020 by just 10,457 votes.
The dilemma facing Republicans on abortion comes after President Trump said Arizona’s abortion ban went too far and promised it would be “fixed” by “the governor and everyone else.” It’s getting even more serious. Republican presidential nominee Trump has touted his role in overturning Roe, but he has also claimed he made a similar promise on Florida’s pending six-week abortion ban. Abortion issues should be left to the states.
Two Republicans in the Arizona House and two senators would need to join all Democrats in both chambers to repeal the ban, which could take effect as early as June 8 without legislative action. . If Congress agrees to repeal the 1864 ban, current law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy will apply, according to Congressional staff and lawmakers. On the eve of Congress taking up the issue, officials on both sides said they could not predict the outcome.
As many Arizona Republicans consider voting, they agonize over this decision, texting colleagues, talking to voters, pastors and priests, praying for wisdom, and looking at their core beliefs. He said he was there. One of them received what they described as “threats” from a prominent figure in the state’s anti-abortion movement.
“This is the toughest decision I’ve made in the eight years I’ve been here,” said Rep. David Cook (R), a longtime abortion opponent who, as of Tuesday, had not decided what to do about abortion. said. would vote. “You are faced with a personal belief… in protecting innocent lives.”
Sen. Ken Bennett (Republican); The red district representative, who previously chaired the chamber and served as secretary of state, predicts that several Republicans will have no “chance” to win re-election if Roe’s ban remains in place. did.
“I expect Wednesday to be one of the most difficult days ever for the Arizona Legislature,” he said.
The issue of the 1864 law has sharply divided the caucus, with some staunch abortion opponents lobbying their colleagues to firmly oppose repeal. personal attack For those considering voting.
“A person who condones the murder of innocent people in order to win an election and protect his political career does not deserve to win,” said Rep. Alex Kolodin (R). I see this as a victory for my core ideological position. It is also a huge humanitarian victory.
Multiple Republican lawmakers and operatives said President Trump’s comments eased the decision for some hesitant Republicans to vote for repeal and gave them a better chance of securing victory in November. He said permission could be granted that goes against values.
“It gave them cover,” said one prominent Arizona Republican who supported repeal, speaking candidly about the dynamics within the party on condition of anonymity. The official said that if some anti-abortion lawmakers weren’t “pleading the virtues” of the pre-Roe ban and “trying to force humiliation on everyone because they represent their constituents,” President Trump’s comments would have been added that it would have been even more helpful.
Resistance by some Republicans to the state Supreme Court’s ruling appeared almost immediately. Shortly after the court issued its ruling on April 9, several Republican senators, including Gress, Bolick, and Sen. T.J. Schopf released a statement condemning the move. They all come from districts that are expected to be competitive in November.
Mr. Borick, who is married to an Arizona Supreme Court Justice, prompted He calls for his fellow Republicans to “find common sense” and “repeal the territorial law.”
Gress made a similar argument on the House floor last Wednesday after moving to suspend House rules in order to introduce a motion to repeal the law, a move that surprised and angered many Republican colleagues. I set it. When he was shut out by the Republican majority, Democrats chanted “Shame, shame, shame!”
(Borick did not respond to requests for comment. Gress declined to comment. )
Nearly all Republicans currently considering repealing the bill would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and include clear support for the 1864 ban in spring 2022, before Roe is overturned. Voted in favor of. The Weeks Act would not prevent a near-total abortion ban from going into effect even if the U.S. Supreme Court were to act.Leaders of the Arizona House and Senate went further and filed court briefs. In May 2023 They argued to the state Supreme Court that the pre-Roe ban should be upheld.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said in an interview that Republicans in Congress “want this.”
“They own this. They voted for a bill with this clear language,” she said. “They had the ability not to vote for this law in the first place.”
Mr. Hobbs and his team have consulted with key Republican lawmakers about the repeal effort, and the bill has not yet been approved, according to people familiar with the discussions, who asked not to be identified to discuss the private deliberations. He has promised to sign the repeal bill if it passes.
Some Republicans feared a change in political winds in the immediate aftermath of Roe’s overturn, especially after conservative Kansas voters overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights in August 2022. I started to recognize it. In Arizona, Gress sent out mailers ahead of that year’s midterm elections. Although he sponsored several bills during his time in Congress aimed at recognizing unborn children as people, he said he opposed the pre-Roe ban.
Some Republicans argue that voting to repeal the 1864 law is consistent with their anti-abortion beliefs, as they seek to strategically choose a path forward that will maximize abortion prevention. Democrats are seeking an initiative on the November ballot that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution and allow abortions up to the fetal lifespan (about 24 weeks). These Republicans argue that supporting repeal would show they are in tune with voters’ sentiments while lending credibility to Republican opposition to the voting bill.
“What will save the most lives? That’s what Republicans are struggling with,” Republican Representative Dunn said. “You don’t want to vote for something that would take the ban from zero to 15 weeks. … But if we don’t remove it, we’re going to push through this ballot measure that’s almost certain to win.” It will be.”
The Democratic-led ballot initiative is a big concern for Arizona Republicans.
On Monday, House Republican general counsel circulated a PowerPoint presentation outlining the party’s strategy to counter the abortion referendum likely to appear on Arizona’s ballot in November. However, this is conditional on the measure being backed by the required number of signatures and clearing any possible challenges from abortion opponents.
The presentation was sent to all members of Congress, not just Republicans, and was quickly shared with reporters.
The report outlined plans to put an abortion referendum back on the ballot, which would only allow abortions up to six weeks, or 15 weeks, before most people realize they are pregnant. The purpose, according to the presentation, is to “extract votes” from the Democratic referendum.
The presentation ended with the word “boom” in a meme from comedian Seth Meyers. It’s very easy. ”
Since Roe’s election, abortion rights advocates have won across the country each of the seven times abortion has appeared on the ballot. It was turned upside down.
Sen. Brian Fernandez, a Democrat from Yuma, wants to repeal the 160-year-old law, but is wary of Republicans’ next move. He warned his Democratic colleagues in an emotional meeting last week that working with Republicans to try to repeal the law would reignite a major fight with Republicans over abortion.
Fernandez suspects Republicans are trying to seize control of their own on the November ballot. As shown in the PowerPoint presentation, it is more restrictive than Democratic-backed abortion access measures. State lawmakers and political consultants said such measures could conflict with Democratic policies and confuse voters.
“All of a sudden, is Matt Gress the savior of women’s rights?” Fernandez asked, referring to the Republicans who pushed for a repeal vote last week.
“I don’t buy it. Maybe I’m just twisted, maybe I’m stupid, I don’t know, but I don’t think they’re going to be our saviors in any way,” he said. said.
