Democrats in the Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday will seek to repeal an 1864 ban on abortion that is poised to become state law once again, but they will need the help of some Republicans in the closely divided legislature.
A state Supreme Court ruling on April 9 revived a ban on nearly all abortions under a law written during the U.S. Civil War when Arizona was not yet a state and women lacked the right to vote.
The law, which would take effect within 60 days, imposes a sentence of two to five years for anyone found guilty of inducing an abortion except for a doctor who deems it necessary to save the life of the mother.
The ruling added fuel to a raging debate across the United States over abortion rights ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Democrats, confident that public opinion is on their side in supporting abortion rights, have sought to elevate the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and Republican-led states went about setting new restrictions.
Arizona House Democrats sought to repeal the ban a week ago, but were thwarted by the narrow Republican majority.
