Arizona House in Chaos After Shouts of 'SHAME!' Were Heard During Abortion Hearing
Shouts of "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!" erupted across the Arizona State Capitol after Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion of repealing an 1864 abortion law. The hearing came after the Arizona State Supreme Court cleared the way to enforce the law which bans all forms of abortion unless the mother's life is in danger.
The 1864 abortion ban was introduced even before Arizona became a US state, As expected, all Democrats were against the law which criminalizes all forms of abortion, with a few Republicans siding with them, including Donald Trump.
According to the Associated Press, several Arizona abortion providers are standing defiant and vowed on Wednesday that they would continue service until they're forced to stop, even within weeks of the ban taking place.
Democrats, who hold the Governor's Office in Arizona, acted with several state Republicans to pressure a hearing to repeal the law. Several Republicans supported the repeal after Donald Trump asked them to intervene.
All House Democrats and at least one House Republican in Arizona tried to open discussion on a repeal of the 1864 abortion ban, but the conservative Republican majority cut them off twice. This led the outraged Democrats to chant "Shame! Shame!" inside the halls of the Arizona legislature.
While the House was in chaos, the Republican-led Arizona State Senate briefly convened without debate on abortion.
"We've got the eyes of the world watching Arizona right now," Democratic Tucson Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton told reporters. "We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday is extreme. And we know that should the 1864 ban on abortion remain a law in Arizona, people will die."
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Republicans Split on Arizona Abortion Ban as General Elections Near
While Democrats are united against the Arizona law, Republicans in the state are largely divided as many are concerned that having an anti-abortion stance might affect their performance in this year's upcoming general election, especially with independent voters.
Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake tried to skirt the issue by repeating Donald Trump's stance by saying she would oppose both "federal funding" and "federal ban[s]" on abortion in the Senate. As for the law, she also sided with Trump and opposed the law, even reaching out to her former opponent, Gov. Katie Hobbs.
"I oppose today's ruling, and I am calling on [Gov.] Katie Hobbs and the State Legislature to come up with an immediate common sense solution that Arizonans can support," she said. Ultimately, Arizona voters will make the decision on the ballot come November."
Arizona Abortion Ban Still on Hold With Voters Getting the Chance to Weigh In
The 1864 law has been described as a near-total abortion ban and it would have taken effect after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the law is still enforceable. It prompted outrage all over the country as it makes abortion a "felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performs one or helps a woman obtain one."
After the outcry, the Arizona Supreme Court said it would put its decision on hold at least for 14 days. It then decided that the case should go back to a lower court that could consider "additional constitutional challenges" that have not yet been cleared up.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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