The move came despite pressure from prominent conservatives including former President Trump and a top Trump ally, Senate hopeful Kari Lake, who have called on GOP leaders to overturn the ban. It shows abortion continues to divide Republicans, and Democrats are more than willing to take advantage.
In a procedural move, state House Democrats tried to make a motion to suspend House rules and bring the repeal bill up for floor consideration. But the move was shut down by the GOP majority. Only one Republican, state Rep. Matt Gress, crossed party lines to vote in favor bringing up the repeal bill.
“The last thing we should be doing today is rushing a bill through the legislative process,” House Speaker Ben Toma (R) said on the floor as he voted against the motion.
“Abortion is a very complicated topic. It is ethically morally complex. I understand that we have deeply held beliefs. And I would ask everyone in this chamber to respect the fact that some of us who believe that abortion is in fact the murder of children,” Toma said.
Wednesday’s effort is not the last chance for Arizona lawmakers to vote on repealing the ban. It will meet again next week. If the 1864 ban is repealed, the law would revert to the 15-week ban passed in 2022.
The state Supreme Court’s ruling last week to reinstate the 1864 ban caused a national uproar and forced a political reckoning among Republicans, many of whom have long said abortion is morally indefensible.
Abortion rights advocates have been gathering signatures to place a referendum on the ballot that would protect access until the point of fetal viability, or roughly 24 weeks of pregnancy. Backers say they have enough signatures and feel the revival of the 1864 ban gave the movement a boost.
Republicans blocked a similar attempt to repeal the ban last week. After Democrats inside and outside the state spent the week continuously hammering the law, prominent Republicans like Trump and Lake saw the political danger and urged the Legislature to dial it back.
But when Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D) rose to bring her motion Wednesday, Republicans successfully blocked the vote on procedural grounds.
