Abortion rights activists from UltraViolet organize a light brigade outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 30, 2021, before the court heard arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case about a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, long before fetal viability. Experts believe this could be the most important abortion case in decades and could undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade. Photo by Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
By Gloria Gomez || Arizona Mirror
Gov. Doug Ducey has said a new 15-week abortion ban is the controlling abortion law in Arizona, even though a judge ruled last week that a near-total abortion ban written in 1864 is the law of the land. Democrats, community groups and
The head of the Arizona Democratic Party and a coalition of liberal community organizations are asking Gov. Doug Ducey to call a special legislative session to eliminate confusion over Arizona’s abortion laws, and they have an unexpected ally — the office of Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Ducey has repeatedly stated that a 15-week abortion ban he signed this year supersedes a total ban written in 1864.
But a judge last week ruled that the Civil War-era ban, which had been blocked for the last 49 years because of Roe v. Wade, is once again law in Arizona. Abortion proponents, including Planned Parenthood of Arizona, which argued against removing the injunction, have said the two laws create confusion for providers and women in the state.
Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán said Tuesday if the governor believes the 15-week abortion ban is in fact enforceable, he should summon lawmakers to the Capitol for a special session to repeal the 1864 law to ensure there is no confusion.
