Arizona Senate to vote on repeal of 1864 near-total abortion ban

The Arizona Senate on Wednesday will vote on legislation to repeal the state’s 160-year-old near-total abortion ban, three weeks after the state supreme court revived the law and thrust reproductive rights into the political spotlight.

The Arizona Senate on Wednesday will vote on legislation to repeal the state’s 160-year-old near-total abortion ban, three weeks after the state Supreme Court revived the law and thrust reproductive rights into the political spotlight. Democrats need two Republicans to side with them on the repeal vote. Republican Sens. Shawnna Bolick and T.J. Shope have said they support overturning the ban and voted with the chamber’s 14 Democrats in recent weeks to advance the repeal legislation. The vote comes a week after three Republicans joined with all 29 Democrats in the state House to repeal the law, which bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy except to save the life of the mother and threatens abortion providers with two to five year prison sentences. If the Senate passes the repeal and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signs it, as expected, it would clear the way for the state’s 15-week limit to remain state law. That restriction, enacted in 2022, does not include exceptions for rape and incest. Republicans, who hold one-seat majorities in the state House and Senate, have faced increasing pressure to repeal what’s known within the state as both the pre-Roe and the territorial ban, a reference to the law predating Roe v. Wade and Arizona statehood. Prominent Republicans, including former Gov. Doug Ducey, former President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Kari Lake, have called on the legislature to take action to moderate the ban.