Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday signed the repeal of Arizona's total abortion ban, which was first passed in 1864.
The repealed ban would have been one of the most restrictive in the nation, prohibiting all abortions except to save the life of the woman. The total ban became a possibility — and a potential political liability for Republicans — when the state Supreme Court revived it in an April 9 ruling. The ruling did not take effect immediately due to a legal stay, but it was set to become law no earlier than June 27, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Now, the repeal heads off that possibility: When the repeal goes into effect this summer, abortion will be legal for the first 15 weeks of pregnancy in Arizona.
After several failed attempts, the GOP-controlled state Senate on Wednesday approved the repeal of the ban, which has garnered bipartisan criticism as being too extreme. Two Republicans joined Democrats in the 16-14 vote.
