Republicans are breaking ranks over Arizona’s abortion ban

The mood was third attempt to repeal the law in as many weeks as Republicans had thwarted Democratic efforts to bring the bill to the floor every other time.

But this time the bill passed 32-28. Republican state Reps. Tim Dunn (R) and Justin Wilmeth (R) joined state Rep. Matt Gress (R) and all Democrats to bypass Chairman Ben Toma (R) and the rest of the Republican caucus.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where votes are needed at least two Republicans to succeed. But the Senate has already started working on its identical version of the House repeal bill, suggesting it could be passed when the House convenes next week.

Even if that were to happen, it would not come into effect until 90 days after the end of the legislature. This means that the territorial ban could remain in effect for weeks or even months. Once repealed, the 15-week ban passed in 2022 would come back into effect.

Like the 1864 law, the fifteen-week ban does not include exceptions for rape or incest.

Arizona became the latest battleground for abortion access when the Supreme Court three weeks ago upheld a law passed before Arizona became a state that bans nearly all abortions in the state except in cases to save the life of the mother . The law too imposes a prison sentence for doctors who perform abortions.

The decision by the court, which consists entirely of judges appointed by Republican governors, caused a wave of unrest national firestorm of criticism and political panic among some state and national Republicans, including former President Trump and Senate hopeful Kari Lake.

They recognized that the resists Challenging the 1864 law could rock the state’s conservative majority and hurt Trump’s campaign in the crucial swing state.

Despite the pressure, Republicans in the House of Representatives twice opposed the repeal of the law. Republican lawmakers have vilified those in their party who voted with Democrats.

“We are willing to kill babies to win elections. In that context, it becomes a little harder to digest, doesn’t it? Moreover, legalizing abortion up to birth will not help us win elections,” said Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R). “Politics is important, but it is not worth our soul.”