Arizona Republicans joined Democrats Wednesday to pass a bill that would repeal a law from the 1800s that places a near-total ban on abortion, according to Axios.
Lawmakers had attempted to pass the legislation two times prior this month after the state Supreme Court upheld the ban making it a felony offense to perform an abortion in Arizona, according to NBC News. On the third attempt, three Republicans joined with Democrats to narrowly pass the measure in a 32 to 28 vote and sent it over to the Republican-controlled state Senate, according to Axios.
Republicans control the Arizona Senate with a slim 16 to 14 majority, according to Ballotpedia. The measure will be read three times in separate sessions before it can be sent to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs to sign, NBC News reported.
If enacted the state’s previous law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy would go back into effect, according to Axios.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on April 19 that the state’s Constitution does not create a right to abortion, contrary to the arguments of abortion supporters. Several prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Arizona senate candidate Kari Lake, called out the state Supreme Court’s ruling for being out of touch with voters and too extreme.
“I oppose today’s ruling, and I am calling on Katie Hobbs and the State Legislature to come up with an immediate common sense solution that Arizonans can support,” Lake said in a statement following the ruling.
