Phoenix — Democrats blamed former President Donald Trump and Republicans for an Arizona Supreme Court ruling that allowed enforcement of an 1864 abortion ban on Tuesday, seeking political advantage on an issue that might dominate a key 2024 battlefield.
Without exclusions for rape or incest, doctors or anyone can be prosecuted for abortion at any moment unless the mother's life is in danger. President Joe Biden's campaign instantly blamed the ruling on Trump's appointment of three Supreme Court judges who overturned a nationwide abortion right.
“The girls today and the young women do not have the rights that we once did because of Donald Trump,” stated Democratic Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “Trump is dangerous and reckless.
Arizona will have the harshest abortion law among top battleground states before November. Biden and his allies want to restore abortion rights, but Trump has avoided endorsing a national abortion ban and warned that it may hurt Republicans.
Even Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, a Trump supporter and abortion opponent, said the entire abortion ban “is out of step with Arizonans.” Change from two years ago when Lake hailed the 1864 law. Republican lawmakers wanted the law scrapped.
Rep. David Schweikert, an Arizona Republican who supported Roe v. Wade's overturn, stated Arizonans should determine this issue, not the courts. Trump's rightward shift on the Supreme Court led to the 2022 Dobbs ruling, which permitted Arizona's laws to be enforced.
Day after Trump stated abortion limits should be left to the states and declined to embrace a national ban after months of conflicting messages and speculation, Arizona ruled. “President Trump could not have been more clear,” Trump campaign spokesman Karoline Leavitt said. “These are decisions for each state’s people.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will debate abortion rights in Arizona later this week, according to the White House. Backlash over the Dobbs ruling helped Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes win by 280 votes in 2022. She claimed Tuesday's verdict will again encourage abortion-supporting independents and Republicans to vote for Democrats.
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