Why has Arizona re-enacted a 160-year-old abortion ban?
Al Jazeera
State court’s ruling could have far-reaching implications for women’s healthcare and the November elections.
Arizona’s Supreme Court has ruled that a 160-year-old law that places a near total ban on abortions may go back into effect in 14 days.
The court, which ruled 4-2 in favour of reinstating the 19th-century statute, declared on Tuesday that it is now “enforceable”.
“Physicians are now on notice that all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman’s life, are illegal,” it said.
The 1864 ban, introduced before Arizona even became a state in the United States, outlaws abortion from conception with no exceptions, even in cases of rape or incest.
Here’s everything you need to know about the ruling, which is expected to have far-reaching effects, impacting both women’s healthcare and US elections in November.
