In April, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a 160-year-old, almost complete ban on abortion could be reinstated. The US state parliament is now opposing it.
In the US state of Arizona, parliament has averted the permanent reintroduction of a 160-year-old abortion ban. The state Supreme Court in April allowed the controversial 1864 law to be reinstated.
However, Parliament opposed this even before this regulation came into force. After the House of Representatives, the Arizona Senate also voted by a narrow majority to repeal the 19th century ban on abortion. It prohibits abortions at all stages of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest. Exceptions only apply if the life of the woman concerned is at risk.
Governor relieved
The Democratic Governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, still has to sign the law repealing the 1864 ban, but this is considered a formality. Hobbs had campaigned to stop the return to the ancient arrangement.
On Platform According to US media, the controversial abortion ban of 1864 could possibly come into force in Arizona for a short time because the repeal law that has now been passed is only taking effect with a delay.
The ban does not directly criminalize women who seek an abortion, but rather people who help them do so – such as doctors. Although the law became invalid in 1973 with the nationwide constitutionally protected right to abortion in the USA – it was never actually abolished.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court with its conservative majority overturned the nationwide right to abortion, which had been in effect for almost 50 years. Since then, the states have been able to decide independently on rules regarding abortion. This has created a legal patchwork. Abortions are now practically banned in various federal states, while elsewhere legislation is still quite liberal compared to German conditions. In Arizona, abortions are currently banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
