Arizona Republicans block swift repeal of abortion law

Republican lawmakers in Arizona blocked an effort on Wednesday to quickly repeal a 160-year-old law prohibiting nearly all abortions after the state’s high court upheld it this week.

A motion by state Rep. Matt Gress, a Phoenix-area Republican, to begin the repeal process got waylaid by a GOP motion to recess, according to local NBC affiliate KPNX. That’s when some Democrats, the minority in the chamber, began shouting, “Shame on you.”

🚨JUST IN—Democrats in the Arizona state house have hijacked the legislative session shouting “SHAME” and “BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS” at Republicans following yesterday’s Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion. pic.twitter.com/0ztaRFhkOd

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 10, 2024

Democrat State Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, who is the top sponsor of a one-line bill that would repeal the abortion law, brought the motion to the floor again in the afternoon, but the House adjourned until next Wednesday on a roll call vote.

The Associated Press reported Gress is one of three GOP legislators who openly oppose the ban. He said the near-total ban “is not reflective of the values of the vast majority of our electorate, regardless of political affiliation. … This issue transcends all.”

Gress got some flak from his GOP colleagues for trying to bring the motion to the floor. State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a Republican, accused Gress of putting “his Republican comrades in swing districts in the line of fire.”

In Arizona’s GOP-led Senate, Democrats claimed they stood to try and start a repeal of the abortion law right. KPNX reported this was right before the chamber was going to adjourn, and President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope, a Republican, gaveled out until next Wednesday.

A Senate GOP spokesperson told the news outlet that the Democrats “were not recognized because the motion before the body was the motion to adjourn. A substitution motion would have been procedurally improper.”

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said the “extremist Republican majority had the chance to do the right thing for their constituents, and they failed.” She also insisted the “fight is far from over.”

The state’s Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday an 1864 law that outlaws all abortions in the state, except when the mother’s life is at risk, and makes those performing an illegal abortion liable to face two to five years in prison.

While pro-life advocates cheered the ruling, several high-profile Republicans opposed it. Former President Donald Trump said it goes too far. Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake and Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) also said they oppose Tuesday’s ruling.

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Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma, both Republicans, released a statement after the ruling explaining that the law did not immediately go into effect and that they would use the interim to have lawmakers deliberate on the issue.

The Supreme Court decision was “based solely on the text of the law — it was not a policy statement,” they said. “It’s important to note, there is at least a 60-day waiting period before any change in the existing law occurs. During this time, we will be closely reviewing the court’s ruling, talking to our members, and listening to our constituents to determine the best course of action for the legislature.”