What Arizona leaders and lawmakers are saying about abortion ban after high court ruling

After the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law effectively banning abortions under most circumstances, many Arizonans took to social media to share their feelings on the abortion ban.

The ruling on the pre-statehood law, which will not be enforced for 14 days, rocked Arizona with abortion providers, lawmakers and politicians posting their opinions on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Though the ramifications of the ruling were still being determined, here's what people are saying.

Arizona's congressional delegation reacts to abortion ruling

Sen. Mark Kelly decried the ruling, saying it will criminalize doctors and hurt Arizona women and families.

"The Arizona Supreme Court just set reproductive rights in our state back by two centuries, and now Arizona women will lose the right to an abortion," he wrote on X.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said she would work to protect reproductive rights in the country.

"Arizonans should not be forced to travel out of state just to receive basic, sometimes even life-saving, health care," the statement shared on X read. "Doctors and hospitals should not be punished for providing health care to their patients."

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., promised to continue fighting for abortion protections in Congress.

"Under this extreme law, women will die and their doctors and nurses will be criminalized. This cannot stand," he said in a Tuesday post on X. "We will not stay silent in the face of these outrageous attacks on our fundamental freedoms."

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Rep. Juan Cicsomani, R-Ariz., said the ruling was a "disaster" for women and providers.

"Our 15 week law protected the rights of women and new life. It respected women and the difficult decision of ending a pregnancy," he said in a post on X.

"We must do better for women and I call on our state policymakers to immediately address this topic in a bipartisan manner," he added.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., said he disagreed with the high court's ruling.

"I do not support today’s ruling from the AZ Supreme Court," he said. "This issue should be decided by Arizonans, not legislated from the bench. I encourage the state legislature to address this issue immediately."

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for Senate, said the ruling was not in line with what Arizonans want.

"This decision rips away the right for women to make their own healthcare decisions with their doctors," he said in a post on X. "I promise you that we will fight this together. And with your help, we will win."

Arizona lawmakers react to abortion ruling

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes at a Tuesday news conference vowed not to prosecute anyone for receiving or providing an abortion.

“No woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this law as long as I am attorney general," she said. "Not by me, nor by any county attorney serving in our state, not on my watch.”

She said her office was working to determine the next steps, which could include appealing to the Supreme Court or "taking this decision and the constitutional questions that remain back down to the Superior Court.”

“Everything is on the table and we will refer to any option available to us to ensure that this decision is never implemented in the state of Arizona," Mayes said.

“We are 14 days away from this extreme ban coming back to life,” Hobbs said. “We must repeal it immediately.”

She outlined the steps she’s taken as governor to protect reproductive rights, including an executive order that gives the state attorney general the sole responsibility of enforcing abortion laws.

Sen. Eva Burch, who last month went public with her decision to have an abortion, noted the court’s ruling means the doctor who performed her abortion would be sent to jail if the 1864 law were in place.

“This isn’t what the people of Arizona want,” Burch, a Mesa Democrat said. “This is an extreme faction calling the shots for someone else.”

Like others at the news conference, she pointed to the importance of getting a citizen initiative that would expand abortion rights on the November ballot.

“It’s time,” Burch said. “I’ve had enough. We are electing pro-choice candidates in November. Watch it happen.”

House Speaker Ben Toma said he and Senate President Warren Petersen did not immediately address Hobbs’ call for a repeal of the 1864 law. But they made the point that they believe the law would not be enforceable for at least 60 days, which buys them some time to examine options.

“During this time, we will be closely reviewing the courts’s ruling, talking to our members, and listening to our constituents to determine the best course of action for the legislature,” they said in a joint statement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitzi Epstein declined to comment on whether Democrats will push a repeal measure. “Stay tuned for tomorrow,” she said. Lawmakers will convene on Wednesday for their once-a-week meeting.

The court’s ruling brought support  from at least one Republican lawmaker, while other Republicans took to social media to support a repeal.

Sen. Anthony Kern applauded the decision in a post on X.

“Americans cannot expect our nation to be healed if we continue to kill our children,” Kern wrote.

A Republican from Glendale, Kern is running in a crowded field for the GOP nomination for the Congressional District 8 seat.

On Monday, Kern led a group in a prayer circle on the floor of the empty Senate chamber, praying in tongues and asking for the Lord to release his presence in the Senate.

Sen. Shawnna Bolick tweeted that she disagreed with the decision. Her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, joined with three other justices in finding that the 1864 law should be upheld.

“It is time for my legislative colleagues to find common ground of common sense: the first step is to repeal the territorial law,” Bolick wrote. She expressed support for the 15-week abortion ban that she and fellow lawmakers approved in 2022,although the bill specifically did not repeal the 1864 ban.

Her comment on X brought swift condemnation from The Arizona Informer, a right-wing online news site. The publication withdrew its endorsement of Bolick. She is running in one of the few legislative battleground districts. She faces a GOP opponent on her right.

The Informer also was critical of U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, who applauded Donald Trump’s abortion stance that abortion questions should be decided by the states. On Tuesday, she objected to the decision made by the state Supreme Court.

In a separate statement, Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, called on Republican leaders to immediately repeal the law, saying “the law cannot stand.” He supports a 15-week ban with “reasonable exceptions, including rape, incest, and life of the mother.” The 15-week ban that lawmakers passed in 2022 did not include exceptions for rape or incest.

LGBTQ Members of the Arizona Legislature also condemned the ruling. Rep. Lorena Austin said abortion is an issue that intersects with LGBTQ struggles and she called for Arizona voters to elect representatives who promise to take action on both abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

"Make no mistake, the people of Arizona will make their voices heard in November because this is not 1864, this is 2024, and everyone deserves the right to life-saving healthcare. This healthcare includes the members of our LGBTQ+ community ... Abortion rights are LGBTQ+ rights," Austin said in a statement released by LPAC, an organization that advocates for the election of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer women and nonbinary people to government positions.

Rep. Patricia Contreras criticized the law as a draconian ban that rolled back women's rights. She also pledged to work to put abortion access on the ballot in November.

"Since our Republican-led legislature is not willing to protect us, I am collecting signatures for the Arizonans for Abortion Access citizen initiative," Contreras said. "I will fight for our rights in the legislature and on the campaign trail. Arizonans will not let this ruling stand."

Advocacy groups react to abortion ruling

Planned Parenthood of Arizona condemned Tuesday's ruling, deeming it a "deplorable decision" and a regression in abortion rights progress.

The organization said its doors would remain open for people seeking abortion services up to 15 weeks of pregnancy once the ban goes into effect.

"This ruling will cause long-lasting, detrimental harm to our communities. It strips Arizonans of their bodily autonomy and bans abortion in nearly all scenarios," the organization said in a statement on Facebook. "We will not stop fighting to protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare."

Pro-choice Arizona, an organization that advocates for reproductive rights, said it was "devastated and outraged by this decision." Yet, it pledged to continue vouching for unrestricted abortion in Arizona.

“Our team is all too familiar with the damaging effect of Arizona’s total ban and intimately know the challenges abortion patients will face," Eloisa Lopez, executive director of Pro-Choice Arizona and the Abortion Fund of Arizona, said in a news release. "We are ready to do everything in our power to take care of our community’s needs in spite of it."

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The Abortion Fund of Arizona said once the law goes into effect, it will provide people seeking abortion services with resources across states.

LUCHA, a grassroots organization that advocates for social and economic justice, also criticized the Supreme Court ruling as "disastrous."

"Their (Arizona's Supreme Court's) ruling today puts the lives of countless Arizonans at risk and robs us of our most basic rights—the right to make our own decisions about our own bodies free from government interference," Alejandra Gomez, Executive Director of LUCHA, said in a statement. "Arizona families deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about pregnancy and abortion."

Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, said Tuesday the abortion ruling was a rule of law, according to the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. She added she considered Tuesday's decision a step toward preservation of life.

“Before Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided, Arizona law limited abortion to cases where the woman’s life was at risk. Only Roe stood in the way of that law," Herrod said in a statement obtained by the Arizona Republic. "The Arizona Supreme Court reached the appropriate legal conclusion. Today’s outcome acknowledges the sanctity of all human life and spares women the physical and emotional harms of abortion."

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Arizona leaders respond

Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix, said the ruling makes it clear that Donald Trump must not be elected in November.

"Today sends a clear message: to restore Roe and protect abortion rights once and for all, we must reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Under Trump, the Republican Party has pushed - and will continue pushing - for a cruel national abortion ban," she said in a post on X.

Former Gov. Doug Ducey took to X to say the ruling was not what he "would have preferred."

"I signed the 15-week law as Governor because it is thoughtful conservative policy, and an approach to this very sensitive issue that Arizonans can actually agree on," he wrote. "The ruling today is not the outcome I would have preferred, and I call on our elected leaders to heed the will of the people and address this issue with a policy that is workable and reflective of our electorate."

Arizona Republic reporter Reagan Priest contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona abortion ban: What lawmakers and leaders are saying