Kari Lake got what she wanted on abortion. Now she's lobbying to undo it
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The Great Arizona Republican Abortion Retreat continues as Kari Lake is now lobbying the Arizona Legislature to repeal the state’s new 19th century abortion ban.
It’s the clearest signal yet that Lake and her fellow Republicans, having gotten the near-total abortion ban they wanted, are now in full-on, flat-out panic mode.
As they should be.
CNN first reported on Thursday afternoon that Lake is calling Republican lawmakers. I confirmed it with one who took her call.
“She said doesn’t believe it is workable policy or reflective of where Arizonans are,” the lawmaker said. “She also said it will drive voters toward the abortion access initiative.”
Kari Lake once praised 1864 abortion ban
Me? I’d love to be a fly on the wall as Lake tries to convince House Speaker Ben Toma or Sen. Jake Hoffman and his fellow members of the hard right Arizona Freedom Caucus to abandon their pro-life beliefs and support a return to what she has called “the ultimate sin.”
All this, so that she can be a United States senator.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Lake was “thrilled” with the prospect of the 1864 ban becoming law once again.
“I have a good feeling that they’re going to do the right thing this time … ,” Lake said at a February 2022 GOP candidate forum, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s pending ruling on Roe v. Wade.
“We have a great law on the books right now. If that happens we will be a state where we will not be taking the lives of our unborn anymore.”
“I’m incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that’s already on the books, I believe it’s ARS 13-3603,” she said during a June 2022 interview on KFYI. “So it will prohibit abortion in Arizona except to save the life of a mother. And I think we’re going to be setting the, paving the way and setting course for other states to follow.”
'Life begins at conception,' she said
ARS 13-3603 is the territorial law that mandates a two- to five-year prison sentence for any doctor who performs an abortion on a girl or a woman who is not dying.
“My personal belief is that all life matters. All life counts, and all life is precious, and I don’t believe in abortion,” she said during the Republican gubernatorial debate in June 2022. “I think the older law is going to take and is going to go into effect. That’s what I believe will happen.”
Lake also said she would sign the Texas heartbeat bill “in a heartbeat” if she became governor, and during the Arizona PBS debate in June 2022, she said she’d like to outlaw abortion pills.
“I believe life begins at conception," she said.
“I don’t think abortion pills should be legal,” she said.
Trump sounds pro-choice: As he slams Arizona abortion ban
Fast forward to September 2022, when a Pima County judge temporarily lifted the 49-year-old injunction that had blocked enforcement of the territorial abortion ban.
“I’m pro-life,” she said that day on Fox News. “I’ve never backed away from that and never will.”
Now Lake wants Arizona to take it all back
And now? Now that she has gotten exactly what she wanted?
She’s calling on Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-run Legislature to take it back.
“It is abundantly clear that the pre-statehood law is out of step with Arizonans,” she said on Tuesday in response to the state Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the 19th century law.
You know what else is abundantly clear?
As lakes go, she’s more of a shallow pond.
I can actually respect people like Hoffman for sticking with their deeply held belief that abortion is murder.
But when an anti-abortion crusader tosses aside her beliefs just to win a few votes?
Cue Kari Lake circa September 2021, when she vowed to sign that Texas heartbeat bill, outlawing abortion at roughly six weeks.
“The most vital role our Elected Officials have,” she explained, “is protecting our most vulnerable.”
Who knew she meant politicians?
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: Kari Lake got what she wanted on abortion, now wants to undo it
