The Arizona Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday on a measure to repeal the state's 1864 ban on abortion, which could go into effect within weeks if not struck down.
The Arizona House last week passed the measure after a handful of Republicans broke party ranks and voted with Democrats to send it to the Senate. The bill appears to have enough support to pass the upper chamber, even with Republicans holding a slim 16-14 majority.
If passed, the measure could immediately be sent to Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, who has said she will sign it.
The fight over the Civil War-era abortion ban in Arizona, a state sharply split between Democrats and Republicans, is the latest flashpoint on women's reproductive rights in the U.S. In 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, leaving it up to states to decide the issue. Conservative-led states quickly invoked strict bans on abortion within their borders.
Democrats across the U.S., confident that public opinion is on their side in supporting abortion rights, have sought to elevate the issue ahead of November's presidential election. Arizona is a key battleground state.
The 1864 law was revived by a state Supreme Court ruling on April 9, and unless the legislature intervenes, it could take effect within 60 days of that ruling, state Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has said.
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
How would it affect your view of democracy if a government action directly contradicted what the majority of the public supports?
@9M256K43wks3W
It would certainly make it clear that democracy is a flexible term to describe the system I was living in, given that it clearly shows that consensus isn’t important
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
In your opinion, should states have the power to control access to medical treatments, or should there be a nationwide standard?
@9M25KL93wks3W
There should be a nationwide standard that all women who seek it should be allowed access to an abortion.
@9M256K43wks3W
There absolutely should not be state level control, it is also important to note that this question is disingenuous. Woman’s bodies, their control over their bodies and access to medical treatments related to this should be enshrined nationwide to ensure woman are autonomous and safely able to access care that they need in a country that upholds personal liberty as a key value.
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
If the decision on abortion rights were solely up to you, how would you balance individual freedom with ethical concerns?
@9M273ZB3wks3W
Improve access to sex education and contraception; allow abortions up to foetal viability
@9M26LDL3wks3W
There needs to be medical proof and evidence to allow abortion as it is a choice
@9M25G8W3wks3W
Pro-choice but increase the access to sex education and contraception in schools and sex clinics
@9M256K43wks3W
Given the clear scientific evidence as to when it is unethical to abort a foetus, I would simply enact laws enabling access to abortion until that limit. Individual freedom in this specific circumstance is more important than the ethical concerns.
