After weeks of national outrage and intense political warfare, Katie Hobbs signed legislation Thursday to repeal a nearly complete 1864 abortion ban, which was passed before Arizona even became a state.
The Democratic Arizona governor’s signature follows a stunning turn in Arizona politics and the heated debate over abortion rights following Roe v. Wade. The 1864 ban, which only allowed abortions to save a woman’s life, had long been in danger of being reinstated, but in April the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the ban could be enforced.
The decision sparked unprecedented outrage in a state that promises to be a key battleground in the November elections — and a handful of Republicans, who hold a one-seat majority in the Arizona state House and Senate, ultimately broke with the Arizona Republican Party and joined the Democrats. to vote for the repeal.
Hobbs’ signature alone does not guarantee that the ban will not go into effect. Arizona legislation typically takes effect 90 days after the close of the state’s legislative session, which could last into the summer. Democratic lawmakers in Arizona did not have the numbers to add an emergency clause to the repeal so that it would take effect sooner; Although legal maneuvers have delayed the implementation of the ban, the ban may take effect temporarily.
On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood of Arizona announced that, in light of Hobbs’ expected signing of the bill, it was filing a legal motion asking the court to stay enforcement of the 1864 ban.
In Arizona, abortion is currently prohibited after fifteen weeks of pregnancy. In November, it appears the state is likely to hold a ballot measure that would ask voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.