Arizona state house repeals 1860s abortion ban, sending bill to Senate

The GOP-led Arizona state House of Representatives voted to repeal a controversial Civil War-era abortion ban on Wednesday, marking a major victory for abortion supporters.

The Arizona state Supreme Court ruled that the 1864 abortion policy was constitutional earlier this month, but Wednesday’s vote was the third attempt by Democrats to legally repeal the law. The final vote was 32-28, after three Republicans flipped to join all the Democrats, the Hill reported.

Other Republicans outside of the state legislature have previously called for a repeal of the 1864 ban, including former President Donald Trump and Republican Senate hopeful Kari Lake.

The bill now goes to the state Senate, which has already begun its repeal process after voting in favor of a motion to introduce a repeal bill last week.

If passed, the state would revert back to a 15-week abortion ban. If the repeal fails at the senate level, the 1864 ban would go into effect on June 8.