Additional Reaction to the Pima County Court Ruling Allowing the Pre-Statehood Abortion Ban

Reactions to the Pima County Court Ruling reinstituting the 1864/1901 abortion ban have been flowing in since its announcement on Friday afternoon. Please read the latest comments below.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

Yesterday’s ruling in Arizona is dangerous and will set Arizona women back more than a century – to a time before Arizona was even a state. If this decision stands, health care providers would face imprisonment of up to five years for fulfilling their duty of care; survivors of rape and incest would be forced to bear the children of their assaulters, and women with medical conditions would face dire health risks. While we await the next steps on any implementation of the law, the potential consequences of this ruling are catastrophic, dangerous, and unacceptable. Make no mistake: this backward decision exemplifies the disturbing trend across the country of Republican officials at the local and national level dead-set on stripping women of their rights, including through Senator Graham’s proposed national abortion ban. The contrast between the President and his focus on moving the country forward and Republican officials’ obsession with taking our country backward could not be starker. The President and Vice President will continue to push Congress to codify Roe to protect women’s access to abortion and health care

Arizona Congressional District Six Nominee Kirsten Engel:

“As an Arizonan, a woman, and a mother, I am heartbroken by this decision and what it means for the safety of women and girls across our state.

“Let me be crystal clear — this is a near-total ban on abortion in Arizona, without exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Blake Masters, Kari Lake and my opponent, Juan Ciscomani, all proudly support extreme abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest. Extreme, dangerous Republicans like Juan Ciscomani are completely out of step with the needs and values of Arizonans, and cannot be trusted to represent us in Washington. He would absolutely be another rubber stamp for Washington Republicans’ plan to pass a national abortion ban.

In Congress, I will always fight for Arizona’s women and girls to have the right to make decisions over their own bodies — not politicians.”

Arizona Congressional District One Nominee Jevin Hodge:

“Extremist politicians have been trying to make healthcare decisions for women longer than Arizona has been a state in this union,” said Hodge. “Nearly three months to the day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a judge in Pima County doubled down and ripped away reproductive freedom for every Arizona woman. Today’s ruling flies in the face of individual liberty, freedom, and the fundamental right of women to control their own bodies.

Last week, with David Schweikert’s support, DC politicians introduced a nationwide abortion ban. Make no mistake, if Schweikert is re-elected and Republicans control the House, barbaric laws like these will become the new standard. The stakes of this election couldn’t be higher. I will continue to fight against any law that makes it harder for women to access reproductive healthcare. I will be a vote in Congress to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade, and I’ll be damned if I let David Schweikert or any politician stand in the way of a woman’s right to choose.”

Arizona Congressional District Five Nominee Javier Ramos:

“The decision today to take away women’s rights is horrifying and un-American. It is time to stand up! This is OUR Arizona. We will not tolerate women’s rights being ‘left to the states as state legislatures rob us of our freedom. In November our voices WILL be heard.”

Independent Congressional District Five Candidate Clint Smith:

Instituting a law from 1901 that bans abortions with no exceptions for rape and incest is out of bounds. I’ve said many times before – there is no role for government in decisions made between a woman and her doctor. In Congress I will support policy that accomplishes that goal.

— Clint Smith (@SmithforAZ) September 24, 2022

State Senator Christine Marsh:

“My record on reproductive rights is clear. I support a woman’s right to choose an abortion until the potential viability of a fetus. For many doctors, viability comes at 23 weeks in a pregnancy. Not 15 weeks, as a bill my opponent sponsored this past session sets as the limit, without exceptions for rape or incest. Or the bill she sponsored which outlaws the abortion of a fetus with zero chance of survival due to genetic anomalies. And clearly not the total pre-statehood abortion ban, supported by Arizona’s Attorney General, celebrated by my opponent, and reinstated Friday by a Pima County judge.”

“Every pregnancy is unique. Every birth should be celebrated. And every woman deserves the right to make the decision to carry her pregnancy forward, or not, without interference from judges or legislators.”

“Voters have a choice this November: who will best represent the interests of families and women who are faced with these sometimes-difficult decisions?”

State Representative Jennifer Jermaine:

“I would have died during my last pregnancy if I didn’t have access to abortion care. This law will kill pregnant people and their fetuses.”

State Representative Judy Schwiebert:

“This is government overreach at its worst. I am outraged that our state has officially turned back the clock on women’s rights by over 100 years. This pre-statehood law that bans abortions even in cases of rape and incest will have devastating effects on countless women here in our state. The last thing we should do is criminalize pregnant people for making their own most personal healthcare decisions and jail doctors for providing life-saving care.”

Please click here to view the first set of reactions that were published on Friday.

It is time to vote and protect women’s rights.