It was a total spectacle at the Arizona State Legislature today. Democrats in both the House and Senate tried to push for a vote to repeal the 1864 Civil War Era ban on abortions but were rebuffed by rule-breaking Republicans in the upper chamber and sidelined with a recess by the MAGA crowd in the lower one.
Recess.
The MAGA-Christian Nationalist Republicans have reduced the weekly legislative sessions to one day a week.
What the hell do they need a recess for except to avoid doing what is right for Arizonans in the Twenty-First Century.
Below is a video clip of Senate Democratic Leader Mitzi Epstein, trying in vain to get a point of order considered so they could move for a vote to repeal the 1864 abortion ban. She was ignored by the Speaker Pro-Tem of the Senate and was gaveled down. Watch the frustration on Epstein and other Democrats faces as Republican Senators broke their own chamber’s rules to avoid voting to repeal a law written by judges serving during the Lincoln Presidency at a time when Arizona was not a state and women did not have the right to vote.
Gress was strongly rebuked by Democrats after recess was declared.
According to reporting by the New York Times, House Speaker Ben Toma has no current interest in bringing a vote to repeal the 1864 abortion ban to the floor.
After the debacle in the Senate, Democrats posted this on social media:
Reacting to the MAGA-Christian Nationalist treachery, Governor Katie Hobbs issued the below statement:
“Today’s legislative action was unconscionable. The extremist Republican majority had the chance to do the right thing for their constituents, and they failed. As they have time and again, radical legislators protected a Civil War-era total abortion ban that jails doctors, strips women of our bodily autonomy, and puts our lives at risk. While extremists in the legislature refuse to protect our rights, I will do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedoms for Arizona women. My Executive Order protecting doctors and women from overzealous county prosecutors is still in effect, and I remain committed to an immediate repeal of this draconian ban. My heart is with every single woman who is now questioning if it is safe for them to start a family. I am proud to be a voice for
every Arizonan who believes in freedom and bodily autonomy. This fight is far from over.”
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano commented in a statement:
These MAGA Republicans are blindly committed to fulfilling Donald Trump’s call to ban abortion and it’s exactly why they are going to be ousted by Arizona voters in November. They have consistently shown that all they want is an abortion ban and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. They cannot sweep their record under the rug– Arizona’s MAGA Republicans are cowards and rightfully scared that Arizonans will vote them out in November for taking away their rights.”
State Senator and Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) Co-Chair Priya Sundareshan also wrote:
“I am disgusted by the actions of my peers, both lying about their stance on this issue so important to Arizonans and refusing to repeal the 1864 ban. We are lucky to have Democrats who will do everything in their power to restore Roe protections for the millions of Arizonans who need reproductive healthcare. This is why we need to flip the legislature, pass the ballot initiative, and stop Republicans from taking away this right ever again.”
State Senator Christine Marsh offered:
“Welcome to Gilead.
Blessed be the fruit.
You may not want to believe it, but it is true…we are living the Handmaid’s Tale in the State of Arizona in 2024. This is no longer a book of fiction, written by Margaret Atwood and published in 1985, and set in the Republic of Gilead, where women are powerless, without reproductive rights, and forced to produce children by men in a patriarchal society, men who have obviously never carried a child… men who have no idea what women’s health care is all about.
This is our reality now.
We had the chance to fix this, today, NOW. It is LONG past time to get rid of this territorial era ban, from before women could vote. But as we move forward, I will remember the Republicans who stood in the way of attempt after attempt to get rid of this destructive legislation–, to throw doctors in jail and endanger women. More importantly, voters will remember.”
House Democratic Whip Nancy Gutierrez commented:
“The Republicans continue to play to their extreme base and not the people of Arizona. Our Democratic caucus worked together to save lives and repeal this archaic ban on abortion. We were shut down on the floor. We will not stop. We respect the people of Arizona who overwhelmingly support access to abortion care. Everyone is up for reelection in 2024, and your vote matters.”
Republicans and their back to the nineteenth century belief system are the gift that keeps on giving to Democrats this camapign season.
Democratic, Independent, and, yes, Republican women and men will remember what these MAGA-Christian Nationalists did in taking away Arizonans reproductive freedom and health care rights and let them know what they think of them at the ballot box this November.
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