Arizona legislators voted to repeal the state's total ban on abortion, an 1864 law revived by its courts after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled Roe v. Wade. It was a close thing—most Republicans voted to keep the Civil War-era prohibition—but it's now on Democrat governor Katie Hobbs' desk and she will sign it.
The near-total ban, which predates Arizona's statehood, permits abortions only to save the patient's life and provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. In a ruling last month, the Arizona Supreme Court suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the law first approved in 1864, which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison for anyone who assists in an abortion.
The result will still leave Arizona with a 15-week ban on abortion, pushed through by Republicans in 2022.
Previously: Republican officials who refused to certify Arizona vote charged with conspiracy and election interference
