AZ Attorney General Mayes provides expected date for when abortion law takes effect

Attorney General Kris Mayes said that June 8 is the expected date that the law banning all abortions unless a mother's life is at risk will take effect in Arizona.

The state Supreme Court ruled 4-2 last week that the law could take effect over the 15-week law currently in place, and the legislature is currently trying to decide whether or not the law gets repealed, The Center Square reported.

“Absent any additional litigation or action by the Legislature, the status-quo remains in place concerning abortion law in our state until June 8, 2024,” Mayes wrote in a letter addressed to healthcare leaders in the state on Thursday.

The date is based on when the court is expected to issue a "mandate" on April 24.

“My office continues to explore all legal options available to prevent the 1864 near-total abortion ban from taking effect. But health care providers can be assured that because of a separate court order in Isaacson v. State, the territorial-era ban will not take effect until 45 days after the Arizona Supreme Court issues the final mandate in Planned Parenthood vs. Mayes/Hazelrigg," the letter continued.

Mayes has made it clear she has no plans to prosecute over abortions. An Executive Order from Gov. Katie Hobbs from June 2023 already said that abortion-related cases get directed to Mayes in order to avoid county attorneys exercising their prosecutorial power on the issue.

Meanwhile, a bill to repeal the law first, which was created in 1864 and reaffirmed in 1977, had its first reading on Wednesday, and is expected to pass the Senate in the coming weeks with two Republican senators saying they support a repeal. On the House side, there's been numerous failed motions made to get a bill up for a vote, as Republican Rep. Matt Gress has been the only lawmaker in his majority to publicly support a repeal in his chamber.