Arizona Has Officially Killed Its 1864 Abortion Ban

Arizona has officially repealed an 1864 abortion ban that the state Supreme Court revived last month.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the repeal on Thursday, a day after the state Senate approved it. “While I’m proud to sign this bill and provide a moment of relief for Arizonans, we still have work to do,” Hobbs said. “Arizona women are still governed by a ban that leaves no exceptions for rape or incest, nor does it account for complications during pregnancy.”

The ban would have replaced Arizona’s 2022 abortion law, which restricted the procedure to 15 weeks in most cases. The repeal will take effect 90 days after the end of the Arizona state legislature’s session.

The Arizona state Senate voted to repeal the ban on Wednesday. The 16-14 vote included two Republican state senators — Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope and Sen. Shawnna Bolick — who defected to side with the Democrats. Last week, the Arizona state house voted to repeal the ban 31-29, with two Republican representatives also voting against it, sending it to the state Senate.

In a statement, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) warned against prematurely celebrating the repeal, cautioning that “the fight isn’t over.”

“A repeal of Arizona’s backwards 1864 abortion law is headed to the Governor’s desk, but the fight isn’t over,” Kelly wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Arizona women are still living under an abortion ban and don’t have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. In November, we’re going to change that.”

The abortion ban saga brought the reproductive rights battle to the political forefront of one of the most significant swing states this election cycle. GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake has voiced that she supports the ban and wishes for county sheriffs to enforce it.

The Senate’s repeal vote came the same day as a six-week Florida abortion ban went into effect, and the day after Louisiana lawmakers moved to outlaw the abortion pill Mifepristone.

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