Arizona reinstates abortion ban law dating from 1864

• Published date: 11 April 2024
• Author: STEFANIA PALMA , LAUREN FEDOR
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

The state supreme court on Tuesday ruled that an 1864 ban on all abortions, except those aimed at saving a woman’s life, is now enforceable

The law does not include exceptions for women’s health, or for victims of rape or incest. It carries a penalty of up to five years in prison for providers.

“Physicians are now on notice that all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman’s life, are illegal,” wrote the justices, who voted 4-2 to revive a law that was written before Arizona was a state and women could vote. The state had previously banned abortions beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Abortion rights have become a divisive issue in American politics since the US supreme court struck down Roe v Wade, the 1973 decision that had enshrined a constitutional right to an abortion. Several states have enforced laws that prohibit abortions almost entirely or with limited exceptions, after six weeks of pregnancy, when many women do not realise they are pregnant.

Arizona is an electoral battleground state where voters could tip the scales in November’s election. Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump there by a margin of less than 11,000 votes in 2020. A Wall Street Journal poll out last week showed Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee...