Political blowback from both sides of the aisle came swiftly in Arizona on Tuesday following the electoral swing state’s Supreme Court ruling that reinstates an 1864 law banning all abortions except in cases when the mother’s life is at risk.
The ruling immediately thrust Arizona — which swung for President Biden in the 2020 election — to the center of the national debate over how abortion will motivate voters in the 2024 rematch between Biden and former President Trump.
The decision came one day after Trump delivered his current stance on abortion, saying he supports leaving it to states. Trump also took credit for appointing the conservative Supreme Court justices who ultimately led to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, returning decision-making power over the divisive issue to the states.
Arizona had already banned abortions after 15 weeks. Advocates with Arizona for Abortion Access, a reproductive rights organization, say they have enough signatures to put a constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access on November’s ballot. The group said Tuesday that it had collected well over the roughly 384,000 signatures required to put the measure on the ballot.
“As a result of this ruling, Arizonans will suffer and die due to the whims of politicians and judges,” said Chris Love, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, in a statement. “Arizona families deserve the right to make their own decisions about pregnancy and abortion without the constant threat of government interference. That belief is what fuels our campaign now more than ever, and we will fight like hell to restore abortion rights in Arizona this November.”
In response to the ruling, President Biden pointed out that the law was passed in 1864, before Arizona was a state and long before women had the right to vote.
“This ruling is a result of the extreme agenda of Republican elected officials who are committed to ripping away women’s freedom,” Biden said in a statement. “Vice President [Kamala] Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose. We will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade for women in every state.”
Harris announced she will visit Tucson on Friday as part of her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. She released a video statement hours after the ruling, pointing the blame for Arizona’s law on Trump.
“It’s a reality because of Donald Trump, who brags about being ‘proudly the person responsible’ for overturning Roe v. Wade, and made it possible for states to enforce cruel bans,” Harris said in a statement.
Both Democratic and Republican candidates in the tight race for Arizona’s Senate seat immediately jumped into the fray to condemn the ruling Tuesday.
“I’m sorry to the women of Arizona,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in a video posted to social media. “The fact that women in Arizona now have less rights than they ever had, have no control over their bodies — it’ s just inhumane. But we’re not done. The state Supreme Court has had their say. We will have our say. And we will fight.”
Gallego’s campaign immediately pointed fingers at his most prominent Republican opponent, Kari Lake, a former newscaster and loyal Trump supporter. In a turn from her usual position of supporting abortion restrictions, Lake said she also opposed the ruling. She called for the governor and state Legislature to “come up with an immediate common sense solution.”
Lake said she agreed with Trump, that abortion “is a very personal issue that should be determined by each individual state and her people” — but in the same breath, she disagreed with her state’s ruling.
At a PBS debate during her run for governor in 2022, Lake said, “I think the older law is going to go into effect. That’s what I believe will happen.”
“OK, so you approve of that. What — at conception?” asked journalist Ted Simons.
“I believe life begins at conception,” Lake said.
“OK, what do we do about abortion pills, what do we do about— “ Simons began.
“I don’t think abortion pills should be legal,” Lake responded.