The third time is the charm.
As Michael Bryan and other media outlets across the country reported yesterday, the Arizona State House of Representatives finally, with all Democrats and three Republicans, voted to repeal the Civil War Era Abortion Ban by passing Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamiliton’s one sentence bill (HB2677.)
Before the vote, the Representative, quoted from the BBC, said:
“The people of Arizona are waiting for us to get this done.”
Reaction from the world of common sense has been extremely positive.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs posted in social media:
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes released a press statement, conveying:
“I am grateful that sanity prevailed in the Arizona House today with the repeal of the draconian, near-total 1864 abortion ban. That 160-year-old-law that criminalizes doctors and nurses for caring for their patients and endangers the lives and health of woman across our state has no place in in the 21st century. I call on the Senate to quickly follow suit and join the House in repealing this law. Unfortunately, without an emergency clause that would allow the repeal to take effect quickly, we may still be looking at a period of time when the 1864 could potentially take effect. My office continues to look at every legal option available to prevent that from ever happening.”
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the Campaign Manager for the 2024 Biden/Harris Reelection Campaign, commented in a statement:
“Donald Trump is responsible for Arizona’s abortion ban. Women in the state are still living under a ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and have been stripped of the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Trump brags that he is ‘proudly’ the person responsible for these bans and if he retakes power, the chaos and cruelty he has created will only get worse in all 50 states. President Biden and Vice President Harris are the only candidates who will stop him.”
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano wrote in a party statement:
“MAGA Republicans have spent the last week lying about their stance on abortion because they know that when abortion is on the ballot, Democrats win, every time. This is not something they can sweep under the rug– this is a right held dearly by so many Arizonans. Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans like Kari Lake, David Schweikert, Juan Ciscomani, Matt Gress, Shawnna Bolick, and TJ Shope are rightfully scared that Arizonans will vote them out in November.”
State Senator and Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) Co-Chairperson Priya Sundareshan also offered in the same party statement:
“We are lucky to have Democrats who will do everything in their power to restore protections for the millions of Arizonans who need reproductive healthcare. However, today’s repeal is just one step in the process. We need to flip the legislature so that we can codify abortion access and stop Republicans from interfering in our medical decisions ever again.”
Later on social media, she posted:
“Today is a clear victory for Arizona House Democrats, whose persistence and hard work resulted in moving forward the repeal of the harmful 1864 abortion ban. Democrats have spent the last few weeks sounding the alarm on Republicans’ obstruction since the state supreme court paved the way for this arcane 160-year-old ban to take effect. Still, an unpopular and dangerous 15-week abortion ban remains. The only way to protect reproductive freedoms is to elect Democrats to the legislature to repeal this ban too.
“From repeatedly refusing to allow a vote to repeal the 1864 ban for weeks to scheming to undermine the Arizona for Abortion Access ballot measure, Republicans’ anti-abortion extremism couldn’t be more apparent. Only under serious national pressure and concern for their political future did Republicans cave. Arizona Republicans are too extreme and out of step with voters, and it’s never been more important that we flip two seats in each chamber to deliver Democratic majorities where true champions of reproductive justice can lead. The DLCC is all hands on deck to ensure Arizonans understand the stakes of altering the balance of power in the state legislature to shape the direction of Arizona.”