Arizona House votes to repeal 1864 near-total abortion ban

The Arizona House of Representatives voted on Wednesday in favour of repealing the 160-year-old strict abortion ban that was set to take effect as early as June.

In a 32-29 vote, Republican legislators crossed party lines to join Democrats in reversing the highly controversial bill after two failed attempts.

Earlier this month the state’s Supreme Court upheld the law, enacted in 1864, outlawing nearly all forms of abortion with exceptions to save a mother’s life and making it a crime to help a woman obtain one.

The ruling sent the state into momentary chaos as residents denounced the decision and abortion providers scrambled to understand when it would take effect.

Lawmakers and politicians, including former president Donald Trump, criticised the decision. Many called on state legislators to repeal it.

The measure will now head to the Arizona Senate for a vote, though it could take some time before it is approved and sent to Governor Katie Hobbs. The earliest the Senate could vote is May 1 and the legislative branch will need at least two Republicans to side with every Democrat to push it forward.

The repeal comes after two previous attempts by Democratic lawmakers to bring forward a bill. Last week, Republicans blocked an effort to bring the bill forward – citing procedural grounds. Earlier this month, Republicans voted against another effort to repeal the Civil War-era law, resulting in a screaming match. 

The highly controversial 1864 ban was enacted before Arizona even obtained statehood. When the Supreme Court initially decided Roe in 1973, it overruled the state’s abortion law.

In preparation for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe, the Arizona legislature enacted a 15-week abortion ban without first repealing the