Arizona’s state legislature approved Wednesday to roll back a strict anti-abortion law. According to the 1864 law, which was reinstated last month by the highest court of the American state, almost all abortions are prohibited – even after rape or incest, a woman could be jailed for five years for an abortion. Because two Republicans joined the Democrats, 16 lawmakers ultimately opposed the restoration of the law and 14 were in favor, international news agencies write.
Last month, four of Arizona’s seven highest judges ruled that the 160-year-old law would become valid. At the time, this did not seem to have major legal consequences, as the state’s attorney general is a Democrat and called the ruling a “democratic affront.” Immediately after the provision, she promised that her Public Prosecution Service would not convict women under the law.
Before Arizona’s highest court reinstated the law, abortions were banned after the 15th week of pregnancy. That will be the case again once the political process surrounding the rollback is complete. This is expected to be the case at the end of June.
Although Democrats are happy with the rollback of the anti-abortion law, it is still unclear what the consequences will be for them in this year’s presidential elections. The chances for Democrats and President Joe Biden to win Arizona, a swings state, could possibly have actually increased if the strict anti-abortion law were reintroduced. The earlier ruling in favor of the 1864 law could have been an argument for Americans in Arizona who normally stay at home with a preference for the Democratic party to go to the polls after all, was the hope among progressives. They may not show up now, and not give Biden additional votes.
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