Arizona House descends into shouting match as Republicans block makes an attempt to repeal Civil War-era abortion ban | EUROtoday

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

The Arizona House descended right into a shouting match on Wednesday after Republicans blocked makes an attempt to repeal the state’s newly revived 1864 legislation that criminalizes abortion all through being pregnant until a girl’s life is in danger.

House Democrats erupted into shouts of “Shame! Shame!” as GOP leaders, who command the bulk, twice minimize off makes an attempt to debate a repeal of the Civil War-era abortion ban.

It got here after the Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld an 1864 legislation that criminalises abortion, and those that assist ladies acquire one, over a 2022 legislation that bans most abortions after 15 weeks.

The 1864 legislation holds no exceptions for rape or incest.

The determination was met with outcry from residents, Democratic lawmakers, abortion advocates and extra throughout the United States who warned that it might hurt entry to essential reproductive healthcare and suppliers.

Arizona House Democrats and not less than one Republican joined within the outcry on Wednesday, with not less than one lawmaker saying “people will die” if the 1864 ban stays a legislation within the state.

However, Republican state Rep Teresa Martinez argued there was no cause to hurry the talk, and accused Democrats of “screaming at us and engaging in extremist and insurrectionist behavior on the House floor.” The GOP-led Senate briefly convened with out debate on abortion.

“We are navigating an extremely complex, emotional and important area of law and policy,” mentioned Ms Martinez, the GOP House whip. “In my opinion, removing healthy babies from healthy mothers is not health care nor reproductive care. Pregnancy is not an illness. It should be celebrated. It is an abortion that terminates life.”

But Democrats disagreed. “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,” mentioned Democratic state Rep Stephanie Stahl Hamilton.

Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs known as inaction on the proposed repeal unconscionable.

“Radical legislators protected a Civil War-era total abortion ban that jails doctors, strips women of our bodily autonomy and puts our lives at risk,” she mentioned.

Meanwhile, state Rep Matt Gress was certainly one of not less than three GOP legislators in Arizona to overtly oppose the ban, proposing a movement to repeal the legislation and arguing a near-total ban “is not reflective of the values of the vast majority of our electorate, regardless of political affiliation. … This issue transcends all.”

Former president Donald Trump additionally opposed the ban this week, calling on officers in Arizona to work collectively to convey the state’s abortion legal guidelines again inside the realm of “reason.”

“It’ll be straightened out and as you know, it’s all about states’ rights,” he informed reporters on Wednesday. “It’ll be straightened out, and I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason and that’ll be taken care of, I think, very quickly.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/abortion-ban-arizona-1864-law-repeal-republicans-b2526972.html