President Biden on Wednesday encouraged Arizonans to support his reelection after the state Supreme Court upheld a Civil War-era abortion ban, virtually wiping out access in the state.
Biden at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was asked what he would say to the people of Arizona in the aftermath of the ruling.
“Elect me. I’m in the 20th century — 21st century. Not back then,” Biden said. “They weren’t even a state.”
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected arguments that it should uphold the current 15-week abortion ban that was signed in 2022.
Instead, the court ruled that the 1864 law, which was passed before Arizona was even a state, can be enforced. The court ruled to lift a stay on the law, meaning it will go into effect in 14 days.
However, the justices also sent the case back to a lower trial court over concerns over the law’s constitutionality.
