Abortion shot-caller dictates to Arizona Republicans: Don't you dare repeal the 1864 ban

Just in case you thought there was an outside chance that the Arizona Legislature might repeal the abortion ban that has catapulted women back to 1864, you can now put that right out of your minds.

The Center for Arizona Policy’s Cathi Herrod has spoken.

Herrod on Tuesday called on Republicans to vote against any plan that would weaken the territorial law that criminalizes abortion.

“Arizonans deserve lawmakers they can trust. They want elected officials who keep their word, especially when it concerns human life. I call on state legislators who told voters in 2022 that they opposed abortion unless necessary to prevent the death of the mother to stand by their convictions and refuse to repeal the pre-Roe law now that it has been upheld,” she said.

And that, as they say, is that.

When Herrod says jump, GOP says how high

Herrod is the unofficial official who runs the Arizona Legislature, the head of the Center for Arizona Policy, the political powerhouse for social conservatives.

When Herrod says jump, Republican politicians in Arizona leap for the heavens. A peek at her phone would likely show she has Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma on her speed dial.

“That’s the voice in Republican primary politics,” longtime GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin told me. “You don’t cross Cathi Herrod in the Republican primary or you lose.”

Face it, Republicans: Your party is now pro-choice

In this case, if Republicans don’t cross Cathi Herrod, it seems quite likely that they’ll lose control of the Legislature next year. Republicans already were looking at a fist fight to hang onto their one-vote control in each chamber.

Now, it's looking more like a blood bath.

I count at least 10 legislators who are looking at a possible boot their behinds come November.

The most vulnerable Republicans — Sens. Shawnna Bolick and Rep. Matt Gress — have called for a repeal of the 1864 law that mandates prison for anyone who helps woman get an abortion unless she’s at death’s door.

Republicans repeal abortion law at their peril

However, Herrod’s Tuesday call should inject some steel into the spine of any Republicans who may be weakening in their resolve to live in the 19th century.

“Candidates who publicly supported the law that was in effect in 1973 when Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided should stand by their word as lawmakers and vote no on any proposed repeal,” Herrod declared.

“Political posturing for the sake of votes and back peddling when faced with hostility only feeds voter cynicism at the cost of human life.”

It also would feed Herrod’s anger.

That’s something you cannot afford to do, if you’re a Republican.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republicans have been told how to vote on Arizona abortion: No repeal