According to the Arizona Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday, nearly all abortions are illegal in the state. On Wednesday, the state senate ended its session, even though there were attempts to bring up a move to repeal the 1864 law for a vote.
Other Democrats and a few Republicans, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, have asked the lawmakers to get rid of the law so that the current 15-week law can stay in place for now. The 15-week abortion rule has also been criticized by many Democrats, but supporters say it is better than the other option, which only lets women have abortions if their health is in danger, no matter how far along they are in their pregnancy.
House Bill 2677, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton (D-Tucson), would get rid of the rule that bans abortions. On Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) moved to put it to a vote without going through committee and directly on the floor. While that was going on, another Republican made the move to go to break, which was approved by speech alone.
While the House was on break, there was a tense moment when Democratic members yelled things like "Save women's lives."
In the second effort to make a motion after break, Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu, moved to adjourn instead, and after a roll call vote, lawmakers left for the week. One Republican, Gress, did not vote to end the session. However, a vacancy on the Democratic side stopped a tie vote, so work could continue.
Speaking on the floor, Stahl-Hamilton said, "We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday was extreme." She also said, "People will die" if the law is not overturned before it goes into force.
A Republican told reporters, "We need to deal with this right away, and Arizonans deserve to see their leaders work on it."
The motion fuss was called "appallingly childish behavior" by Democrats by House Speaker Ben Toma in a statement. He also said that the problem needs more time to be solved. After starting to talk about the state budget, the government only meets once a week.
Democratic leaders tried to do the same thing in the Senate, but the body also ended up adjourning.
There is disagreement among Arizona's Republican politicians about the best way to handle this, since a proposed constitutional change is sure to be on the ballot in November. It is supporters say that the change would allow abortions up to the point of "fetal viability," while opponents say that it allows abortions very late in the pregnancy.
Some members want to get rid of the 1864 rule that says abortions can only happen if the mother's health is in danger, but others, like the Arizona Freedom Caucus, back the decision.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the state's Freedom Caucus, "sadly, it seems that some are choosing to reject the fundamental, core principle of protecting life." Others have joined the movement to make abortion legal for the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would allow 95% of all abortions to happen.
In the end, the governor is still trying to get the lawmakers to respond.
“Today's legislative action was morally wrong. But the extreme Republican majority did not do what was right for their people, Hobbs said.
She also said, "My Executive Order protecting doctors and women from overzealous county prosecutors is still in effect, and I remain committed to immediately lifting this harsh ban."
Other Democrats and a few Republicans, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, have asked the lawmakers to get rid of the law so that the current 15-week law can stay in place for now. The 15-week abortion rule has also been criticized by many Democrats, but supporters say it is better than the other option, which only lets women have abortions if their health is in danger, no matter how far along they are in their pregnancy.
House Bill 2677, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton (D-Tucson), would get rid of the rule that bans abortions. On Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) moved to put it to a vote without going through committee and directly on the floor. While that was going on, another Republican made the move to go to break, which was approved by speech alone.
While the House was on break, there was a tense moment when Democratic members yelled things like "Save women's lives."
In the second effort to make a motion after break, Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu, moved to adjourn instead, and after a roll call vote, lawmakers left for the week. One Republican, Gress, did not vote to end the session. However, a vacancy on the Democratic side stopped a tie vote, so work could continue.
Speaking on the floor, Stahl-Hamilton said, "We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday was extreme." She also said, "People will die" if the law is not overturned before it goes into force.
A Republican told reporters, "We need to deal with this right away, and Arizonans deserve to see their leaders work on it."
The motion fuss was called "appallingly childish behavior" by Democrats by House Speaker Ben Toma in a statement. He also said that the problem needs more time to be solved. After starting to talk about the state budget, the government only meets once a week.
Democratic leaders tried to do the same thing in the Senate, but the body also ended up adjourning.
There is disagreement among Arizona's Republican politicians about the best way to handle this, since a proposed constitutional change is sure to be on the ballot in November. It is supporters say that the change would allow abortions up to the point of "fetal viability," while opponents say that it allows abortions very late in the pregnancy.
Some members want to get rid of the 1864 rule that says abortions can only happen if the mother's health is in danger, but others, like the Arizona Freedom Caucus, back the decision.
According to a statement released Tuesday by the state's Freedom Caucus, "sadly, it seems that some are choosing to reject the fundamental, core principle of protecting life." Others have joined the movement to make abortion legal for the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would allow 95% of all abortions to happen.
In the end, the governor is still trying to get the lawmakers to respond.
“Today's legislative action was morally wrong. But the extreme Republican majority did not do what was right for their people, Hobbs said.
She also said, "My Executive Order protecting doctors and women from overzealous county prosecutors is still in effect, and I remain committed to immediately lifting this harsh ban."
