Arizona takes major step toward repealing near-total abortion ban from 1864
Arizona has voted to repeal a 160-year-old law banning abortion, marking a major win for the Democratic-led effort to take the law off the books.
Republicans had thwarted two earlier attempts to vote on ending the law, which bans abortions from conception without exceptions for rape or incest.
But three Republican members of the party broke ranks on Wednesday to vote for repeal in the narrowly divided house.
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The bill now moves to the Senate, where it has a good chance of passing.
Earlier this month, the state’s Supreme Court resurrected the 1864 law, unleashing an outcry across the country, where voters broadly support abortion access.
Last week, two Republican senators voted to advance a similar bill. It suggests there is enough Republican support to get the repeal through.
Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs has indicated she will sign the bill if it reaches her desk.
With the ban scheduled to go back into effect in June, lawmakers who oppose it are under deadline pressure.
“The people of Arizona are waiting for us to get this done,” said House Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, who introduced the one-sentence repeal bill.