Trump’s abortion statement angers conservatives and gives the Biden campaign a new target
BY STEVE PEOPLES Updated 4:09 PM EDT, April 8, 2024 link
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump still says he’s proud that the Supreme Court justices he nominated overturned Roe v. Wade. Yet he again on Monday avoided tough questions about abortion, including whether he would support a national abortion ban should he return to the White House.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee tried to put to rest an issue widely seen as a general election liability. Instead, his video statement exposed the tough road ahead and inflamed leaders on both sides of the issue.
Religious conservatives said they were deeply disappointed. Progressives said he was lying. And there’s every indication that abortion will define the 2024 election no matter what Trump does or says — in large part because Republicans in Congress and in statehouses across the country continue to fight for new restrictions.
Here are some takeaways exploring the complicated politics of Trump’s latest statement.
SEARCHING FOR POLITICAL SAFE GROUND For Trump, fights over abortion, like any other major issue, have always been about winning. And so it should not be a surprise that on Monday he avoided endorsing a ban.
Trump has long tried to steer clear from supporting national restrictions that could be a political disaster for Republicans struggling to win back key groups — especially suburban women — who turned their backs on the GOP in recent years.
Trump remains eager to take credit for the reversal of Roe v. Wade. He did so again in Monday’s video posted to his social media site. But even at the state level, abortion bans enacted after Roe was overturned have been deeply unpopular.
So, Trump simply tried to punt abortion back to the states.
“The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” Trump said of abortion rights. “Now, it’s up to the states to do the right thing.”
Religious conservatives, of course, have been fighting against abortion rights for decades on the grounds that abortion should be stopped at all costs — even if they pay a price at the ballot box.
But Trump wants to win in 2024. And in his statement, he made clear that he’s trying to make the best of a bad political situation for him and his party.
“We must win,” he said. “We have to win.”
A TEST FOR TRUMP’S BASE The outrage from Democrats was expected. The fierce infighting among Trump’s GOP was not.
“We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has declined to endorse his former running mate this year, put it this way: “President Trump’s retreat on the Right to Life is a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans.”
On social media, some conservatives latched onto Trump’s reference to the term “abortion rights,” arguing that such rights do not exist. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a vocal Trump ally, said on X that he “respectfully” disagrees with Trump’s new position.
As he often does, Trump went after his critics by name.
“Lindsey, Marjorie, and others fought for years, unsuccessfully, until I came along and got the job done. Then they were gone, never to be heard from again, until now,” Trump said on social media. He added, “The Democrats are thrilled with Lindsey, because they want this Issue to simmer for as long a period of time as possible.”
Despite the infighting, Trump’s team is making the calculation that his evangelical base, among the most loyal elements in his coalition, will have his back when it matters most. And recent history suggests he’s probably right.
Dannenfelser and others have been pushing Trump to embrace a national abortion ban for several months. Trump, of course, has not. And still, Trump cruised to an easy victory in the GOP primary.
He even won the Iowa caucuses, historically ruled by religious conservatives, by 30 points.
If his waffling on abortion didn’t hurt him with the GOP base in the primary, it’s hard to see them turning against him this fall.
BIDEN’S REELECTION MOBILIZES Democrats would have had more ammunition this November if Trump had publicly embraced a national abortion plan on Monday. But Biden’s party still has plenty to work with.
Even in Monday’s statement, Trump said he was “proudly responsible” for the Roe reversal.
Within hours, the Biden campaign released a scathing new advertisement featuring a woman who nearly died after being denied medical care due to restrictive abortion laws enacted after Roe was overturned.
“Donald Trump did this,” the ad states as the Texas woman cries in the background.
Prominent pro-choice groups lashed out as well, with many arguing that Trump cannot be trusted after his leading role in overturning abortion rights. Biden issued a seven-paragraph statement labeling Trump singularly “responsible for creating the cruelty and the chaos that has enveloped America” since Roe was overturned.
“Trump is scrambling,” the Democrat said. “He’s worried that since he’s the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024. Well, I have news for Donald. They will.”
National Democrats intend to blame Trump not just for abortion bans in conservative-led states but for the restriction of fertility treatments in Alabama after the state Supreme Court ruled that embryos should be considered children and awarded legal protections.
Biden’s campaign announced Sunday that it would hold campaign events featuring two women, one from Texas and the other from Louisiana, affected by restrictive abortion laws enacted by Republicans.
Meanwhile, Republicans simply don’t have an effective counterargument.
In his video, Trump repeated the GOP’s longstanding argument that it is Democrats, not Republicans, who are extreme on abortion because they support abortion rights with no restrictions. Such arguments, while debatable, have not been effective over the last two years. Conservatives have suffered stinging defeats in elections dominated by the abortion-rights debate from Kentucky to Ohio to Michigan.
BIG QUESTIONS REMAIN Trump on Monday talked in more substance than we’re used to. But he hardly put the issue to rest.
Trump will almost certainly continue to engage with the religious conservatives who condemned his position. Perhaps more importantly, he’ll also be asked to clarify key questions that he avoided altogether.
Trump did not explicitly state whether, if elected again, he would or would not sign a national abortion ban should it reach his desk.
While it’s unlikely such a proposal could meet a 60-vote Senate threshold, a majority of House Republicans have endorsed a national abortion ban as part of a budget proposal unveiled this spring by the Republican Study Committee.
At the same time, Trump did not outline his position on a Florida ballot measure that would preserve abortion rights in the state constitution if approved in November. Trump, of course, is a Florida resident who will have an opportunity to cast a vote for or against the proposal.
A new Florida law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis will soon take effect banning abortions at six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many women realize they’re pregnant. Trump promised last week that he would issue the statement he gave Monday after being asked about the state law.
Also left unanswered: Whether Trump supports access to the FDA-approved abortion medication mifepristone, which is widely available through the mail.
STILL A DEFINING ISSUE Whether Trump’s GOP likes it or not, abortion will be a defining issue for many voters when they decide the presidency this fall.
The Roe reversal is still fresh for many voters who have only just begun to grapple with Republican-backed abortion restrictions in their states. At the same time, voters in several states are expected to decide whether to enshrine abortion rights into state law this November.
For now, it’s not clear exactly how many states will vote on abortion ballot measures. In some, the question is whether amendment supporters can get enough valid signatures. In others, it’s up to the legislature. And there’s legal wrangling in the process in some states.
So far, abortion rights are definitely on the ballot in Florida, Maryland and New York. And efforts are also underway to do the same in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota.
Fact check: Trump makes wildly inaccurate claim that ‘all legal scholars’ on ‘both sides’ wanted Roe overturned
By Daniel Dale, CNN 4 minute read Published 1:12 PM EDT, Mon April 8, 2024 link
Washington CNN — Former President Donald Trump has accurately boasted that he played a central role in getting the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed abortion rights across the country. But he keeps making wildly inaccurate claims that the court’s 2022 decision to rescind Roe had universal support.
In a video statement on abortion policy he posted on social media Monday, Trump said: “I was proudly the person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars, both sides, wanted and, in fact, demanded be ended: Roe v. Wade. They wanted it ended.” Later in his statement, Trump said that since “we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” states are free to determine their own abortion laws.
It wasn’t clear there whether Trump was using “everybody” to refer to legal scholars in particular or the American public. But in previous statements this year, he has broadly claimed that “everybody,” period, agreed the power to determine abortion law should be returned to individual states.
Facts First: Trump’s claim that “all legal scholars” wanted Roe overturned is not even close to true; many wanted Roe preserved, as several legal scholars reiterated in Monday comments to CNN. And Trump’s broader claims that “everybody” wanted states to be granted the power to determine abortion law are also false; opinion polls have consistently showed a large majority of Americans did not want Roe terminated.
Many legal scholars wanted Roe preserved
It’s not clear what percentage of “legal scholars” wanted Roe v. Wade overturned. Some of them certainly did.
But Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, claimed that “all” of them wanted Roe gone. A simple Google search shows that is untrue.
“Any claim that all legal scholars wanted Roe overturned is mind-numbingly false,” Rutgers Law School professor Kimberly Mutcherson, a legal scholar who supported the preservation of Roe, said Monday.
“Donald Trump’s claim is flatly incorrect,” said another legal scholar who did not want Roe overturned, Maya Manian, an American University law professor and faculty director of the university’s Health Law and Policy Program.
“Please make clear that the facts are the opposite of Trump’s claims,” said Yale Law School professor Reva Siegel, yet another legal scholar who wanted Roe preserved.
Trump’s claim is “obviously not” true, said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis who is an expert on the history of the US abortion debate. Ziegler, who also did not want Roe overturned, said in a Monday interview: “Most legal scholars probably track most Americans who didn’t want to overturn Roe. … It wasn’t as if legal scholars were somehow outliers.”
It is true that some legal scholars who support abortion rights wished that Roe had been written differently; the late liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of them. But Ziegler noted that although “there was a cottage industry of legal scholars kind of rewriting Roe – ‘what Roe should’ve said’ – that isn’t saying Roe should’ve been overturned. Those are very different things.”
Mutcherson said in an email: “Many of us have argued for decades that Roe was too narrow, and became even more so after Casey,” a 1992 Supreme Court decision on abortion rights, “so the call was to strengthen Roe, certainly not to overturn it and give states the power to deprive women of such a basic right of control over their bodies and futures.”
Manian said in an email: “Criticism of Roe from legal scholars supporting reproductive justice focused on expanding Roe’s protections, not overturning Roe. Reproductive justice scholars called for overturning the case upholding the Hyde Amendment (Harris v. McRae), which was an extremely narrow reading of Roe and narrow approach to constitutional protection for access to abortion. In other words, critics of Roe from the progressive side argued for expanding abortion rights beyond the floor set by the decision, not for overturning and eviscerating Roe.”
Most Americans wanted Roe preserved
Trump has gone well beyond claims about “legal scholars” supposedly being united in support for the decision to overturn Roe. He has repeatedly claimed that “everybody” agreed the matter of abortion law should be left up to each state, suggesting he was referring to the views of the American public.
In fact, poll after poll has shown that most Americans – two-thirds or nearly two-thirds of respondents in multiple polls – wish Roe would have been preserved.
For example, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS in July 2023 found 64% of adults opposed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe; that result was nearly identical to the result of a CNN poll conducted by SSRS in July 2022, the month after the decision. Similarly, a Marquette Law School poll in February 2024 found 67% of adults opposed the decision that overturned Roe.
A NBC News poll in June 2023 found 61% opposition among registered voters to the decision that overturned Roe. A Gallup poll in May 2023 found 61% of adults called the decision a bad thing.
In all seriousness the thing that disturbed me most was the part where he said that democrats were for abortion up to the time of birth and after the birth as well...
Yeah loony QAnon propaganda...
I would like to know where that came from... sheesh, in all seriousness, the viability (20-24 weeks) has been the standard.
There will be no playoffs. Can’t play with who we have out there and compounding it with garbage playcalling and worse execution. We don’t have good skill players on offense period. Browns 20 - Bears 17.
Trump's ridiculous lies concerning abortion are just going to dig the hole deeper...now he's got the GOPs most radical supporters turning against him because he refused tell them what they wanted to hear...proclaiming the obvious, the GOPs most radical voters want a nationwide ban on abortion and more.
...but it's obvious, based on recent election results, a vast majority of women are going to vote to restore their power over the abortion issue by voting against the politicians who took their rights away. That's the way a democracy is supposed to work and watching the process play out is a thing of beauty, imo.
Women have had to learn the hard way...if Trumps lips are moving, HE'S LYING...Republican men don't seem to care if Trump is a known liar.
Arizona Supreme Court rules all elective abortions are now 'illegal', doctors on notice
The ruling says all elective abortions in Arizona are "illegal." Gov. Katie Hobbs demanded legislators to repeal the near-total abortion ban.
PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that all doctors in the state should be on notice that "all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman’s life, are illegal."
In the lengthy ruling released Tuesday, the court ruled that "criminal and regulatory sanctions may apply to abortions performed after fifteen weeks’ gestation." The decision essentially allows an abortion law dating back to the Civil War to remain in effect.
"To date, our legislature has never affirmatively created a right to, or independently authorized, elective abortion. We defer, as we are constitutionally obligated to do, to the legislature’s judgment, which is accountable to, and thus reflects, the mutable will of our citizens," the ruling states.
The justices argued that the old, pre-statehood law can stand because the "legislature has demonstrated its consistent design to restrict elective abortion to the degree permitted by the Supremacy Clause and an unwavering intent since 1864 to proscribe elective abortions absent a federal constitutional right."
The justices allowed for 14 days to pass before the near-total abortion ban can be enforced.
Gov. Katie Hobbs called upon the Republican-controlled Legislature to repeal the 1864 abortion law before it takes effect again in Arizona.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, quickly condemned the court's decision in the following statement:
The decision made by the Arizona Supreme Court today is unconscionable and an affront to freedom. Make no mistake, by effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago, the Court has risked the health and lives of Arizonans.
Today's decision to reimpose a law from a time when Arizona wasn't a state, the Civil War was raging, and women couldn't even vote will go down in history as a stain on our state. This is far from the end of the debate on reproductive freedom, and I look forward to the people of Arizona having their say in the matter. And let me be completely clear, as long as I am Attorney General, no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this draconian law in this state.
On the other side of the debate, Arizona Right to Life celebrated the court's ruling.
"We are delighted that the court recognized and upheld Arizona's long history of protecting unborn babies and their mothers," the organization said.
This is a developing story. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
Battle over abortion in Arizona
The battle over whether women in Arizona have the right to get an abortion or not began back in June 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case and made abortion rights a state issue.
In late 2022, a state appeals court ruled that abortion was legal in Arizona up to the 15th week of pregnancy, unless the abortion is needed to save the mother's life, in a case brought by Planned Parenthood of Arizona. That decision was based on a bill passed less than three months before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
In May 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court was briefed on a petition to review that ruling. In August 2023, they decided to hear the case.
The appeal was filed by the Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Dr. Eric Hazelrigg, an obstetrician and medical director of Choices Pregnancy Center in Arizona.
ADF lawyers and other abortion opponents argue that a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion, which was enacted before Arizona was a state, should be state law.
Under that ban, which was passed in 1864, doctors would face two to five years in prison if they performed an abortion. The only exception would be to save the mother's life. This law has remained in Arizona's statutes but has been inactive due to an injunction.
Reproductive rights advocates in Arizona have said they would be satisfied with the 15-week abortion ban remaining, as it would put an end to uncertainty among patients and health care providers.
The Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the 1864 near-total abortion ban should become state law or made moot on Dec. 12, 2023.
The 15-week ban on abortion remained in effect after Arizona's Supreme Court justices heard the arguments.
Over the past five months since the arguments, reproductive rights have been a hot topic in Arizona.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona in March and spoke at a rally to support reproductive freedoms.
Later that month, Arizona state Senator Eva Burch (D-District 9) went public with her plan to get an abortion on the Senate floor. She later sat down with 12News Political Insider Brahm Resnik to discuss why she not only had the abortion but went public with it.
Arizona also received a visit from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan) this past week. She spoke to reproductive rights supporters at a coffee house in downtown Phoenix. The battle over abortion in Arizona set to continue
Even with Arizona's Supreme Court issuing its ruling on Tuesday, reproductive rights are set to continue to be a hot topic through Election Day.
Arizona is one of 11 states that could see an abortion rights initiative on the ballot this November.
The Arizona for Abortion Access Act would create an amendment to the state constitution that would guarantee the right to an abortion in the state.
The campaign to put this initiative on the ballot has already gathered more than 500,000 signatures. The threshold to make it on the ballot is about 384,000. However, Arizona for Abortion Access, the group behind the initiative, says they hope to have about 800,000 signatures by the July 3 deadline for turning them in.
This is so they have a cushion in case some of the signatures are ruled to be invalid.
An organization called It Goes Too Far is running a "Decline to Sign" campaign aimed at thwarting signature gatherers. They are also planning a fall campaign to defeat the initiative if it makes it onto the ballot.
Even with Arizona's Supreme Court issuing its ruling on Tuesday, reproductive rights are set to continue to be a hot topic through Election Day.
Arizona is one of 11 states that could see an abortion rights initiative on the ballot this November.
The Arizona for Abortion Access Act would create an amendment to the state constitution that would guarantee the right to an abortion in the state.
The campaign to put this initiative on the ballot has already gathered more than 500,000 signatures. The threshold to make it on the ballot is about 384,000. However, Arizona for Abortion Access, the group behind the initiative, says they hope to have about 800,000 signatures by the July 3 deadline for turning them in.
This is so they have a cushion in case some of the signatures are ruled to be invalid.
An organization called It Goes Too Far is running a "Decline to Sign" campaign aimed at thwarting signature gatherers. They are also planning a fall campaign to defeat the initiative if it makes it onto the ballot.
Let the citizens of Arizona vote on the issue and while they are at it, they can cast a vote against those elected officials who are trying take their rights away.
The radical rwers might have bitten off more trouble than they ever realized. When the minority tries to take away a citizen's rights, that loss is felt across all political lines.
Trump lied during his big abortion announcement and said Democrats want to be able to execute babies Brent D. Griffiths Apr 8, 2024, 12:01 PM GMT-4
Former President Donald Trump lied on Monday and said that Democrats wanted babies "executed after birth," in a video that was supposed to unveil his views on the politically fraught issue of abortion.
"They support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month," Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. "The concept of having an abortion in the later months, and even execution after birth. That's exactly what it is — the baby is born, and the baby is executed after birth."
Trump's claim was part of an announcement that sought to finally establish his views on abortion amid a series of sometimes contradictory statements. He declined to support a nationwide abortion ban. The former president said that whatever individual states determined "must be the law of the land" but did not establish an explicit position on abortion-rights ballot initiatives pending in states throughout the country.
Related stories
A timeline of Trump's shifting stance on abortion
Trump's statement makes it clear he's more worried about Democrats than anti-abortion conservatives
Trump said abortion laws should be left to the states: 'It's all about will of the people'
As he has in the past, Trump argued that since Democrats articulate few limits they want to place on abortion, it means they want to allow abortions up until the point of birth or even after that. This "infanticide" argument has been part of the abortion debate for years.
The fact is that abortions beyond 21 weeks are rare, as multiple outlets and fact-checkers have confirmed. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from before the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade, less than 1% of abortions were performed at 21 weeks or later in gestation. Doctors have said such abortions are performed for medical emergencies only.
The Biden White House has backed the Women's Health Protection Act, which, as Business Insider previously reported, did not allow for post-birth termination. The bill did allow for later abortions for "health" reasons, which anti-abortion groups have argued is too vague of a position and could allow for abortions for psychological or emotional reasons.
President Joe Biden, in a statement released by his campaign, said that Trump "more than anyone in America" was most responsible for the uncertainty around nationwide abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision.
"Trump is scrambling," Biden said in a statement. "He's worried that since he's the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024."
In his video statement, Trump expressed pride in his role of appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped provide the majority that overturned Roe.
In all seriousness the thing that disturbed me most was the part where he said that democrats were for abortion up to the time of birth and after the birth as well...
Yeah loony QAnon propaganda...
I would like to know where that came from... sheesh, in all seriousness, the viability (20-24 weeks) has been the standard.
In 2022 California had a bill that would decriminalize perinatal deaths. After some uproar, It was then amended. Yes, it is false to say that any state allows abortion after birth. But it is true they tried to allow abortions after birth. That means there are some people out there that support this sort of thing.
It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great!
In all seriousness the thing that disturbed me most was the part where he said that democrats were for abortion up to the time of birth and after the birth as well...
Yeah loony QAnon propaganda...
I would like to know where that came from... sheesh, in all seriousness, the viability (20-24 weeks) has been the standard.
In 2022 California had a bill that would decriminalize perinatal deaths. After some uproar, It was then amended. Yes, it is false to say that any state allows abortion after birth. But it is true they tried to allow abortions after birth. That means there are some people out there that support this sort of thing.
I will just say this. There is a huge difference between a perinatal death and an abortion… perinatal deaths are heartbreaking and something that no person should have to go through, there are so many issues and circumstances that surround the issue, no single law could possibly cover all the possibilities. That is part of the challenge that States that have banned abortion have gotten in disputes with doctors and women.
But for Trump to characterize is as democrats support abortion after birth is just another lie from the liar in chief.
Thanks for the clarification, I had no idea that was the underlying issue..
There will be no playoffs. Can’t play with who we have out there and compounding it with garbage playcalling and worse execution. We don’t have good skill players on offense period. Browns 20 - Bears 17.
Here is an example of "The New GOP Play Book"...lie like hell about your position on abortion issues.
GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake bashes Arizona's new abortion ban. She praised it less than 2 years ago.
Story by bmetzger@insider.com (Bryan Metzger) April 9, 2024link
A near-total abortion ban from 1864 will soon take effect in Arizona.
GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake bashed the law as "out of step with Arizonans."
But two years ago, she called the law "great" and said it could pave the way for other states.
Kari Lake, the Trump acolyte and Arizona GOP Senate candidate, says she does not support a near-total ban on abortion that's set to take effect soon in the crucial battleground state.
That law, more than 160 years old, was written when Arizona had not yet become a state and would outlaw abortion in all instances, except to save the life of the mother.
"I have traveled to every corner of this state on the campaign trail," Lake said in a statement on Tuesday. "I speak to more Arizonans than anyone and it is abundantly clear that the pre-statehood law is out of step with Arizonans."
Lake's statement came soon after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the 1864 law, which mandates two to five years in prison for anyone who aids in abortion, was enforceable. However, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has said that she will not enforce the law, which she described as "draconian."
Arizona voters will also get to decide on the issue of abortion rights in a November referendum, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the GOP-controlled state legislature could, in theory, seek to change the law.
Yet Lake's stated position on the territorial-era law is a significant reversal from 2022, when she was running for governor of Arizona.
In June of that year, Lake said in a local radio interview that she supported the 1864 law, according to Politifact.
"I'm incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that's already on the books," Lake said in that interview, adding: "It will prohibit abortion in Arizona except to save the life of a mother. And I think we're going to be paving the way and setting course for other states to follow."
Lake's reversal comes as Republicans more broadly seek to reposition themselves on abortion, given the losses that the GOP has suffered in races and ballot measures across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
As she's mounted her Senate bid, Lake has sought to emphasize her status as a mother and said that she supports efforts to make motherhood easier, moving away from harsher anti-abortion rhetoric that she employed during her failed gubernatorial bid.
And on Monday, former President Donald Trump said that he believed abortion should be left to states to decide, the latest in a series of conflicting positions he's taken on abortion.
Lake is running against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in a race that could determine control of the Senate. In a statement, Gallego also bashed the court's ruling while tying it to "extremist politicians like Kari Lake."
Lake isn't the only Republican who's seeking to distance themselves from the law.
Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Dave Schweikert, two Arizona Republicans who face competitive reelection races, also said that they do not support the law and called on Hobbs and the legislature to overturn it.
Post See new posts Conversation Rep. David Schweikert @RepDavid I do not support today’s ruling from the AZ Supreme Court. This issue should be decided by Arizonans, not legislated from the bench. I encourage the state legislature to address this issue immediately. 3:18 PM · Apr 9, 2024
This is just another example of how far Republicans will go to win elections...just lie about their anti abortion position in an attempt to gain votes.
...Politicians lie to get votes? Say it ain't so. I'm shocked and appalled.
Yes, people will lie/cheat/steal for power. It's not anything new. Politics has mostly been a load of BS at the highest level for quite a while.
It's depressing that many current politicians aren't even good at deception and yet people still vote for them. Any more it seems voters are practically begging politicians to lie to them.
It's like people don't care about what actually happens as long as the "sweet, little lies" make them feel better.
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
What confuses me the most about this courts ruling is that the law they're using as precedent was not a law created by the state of Arizona. The law they used to decide the case was created during the civil war era well before Arizona ever became a state.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
What confuses me the most about this courts ruling is that the law they're using as precedent was not a law created by the state of Arizona. The law they used to decide the case was created during the civil war era well before Arizona ever became a state.
Good point, Pitt...Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912.
I'm not an attorney or even close to it. I just don't see how a court can claim that was the law of Arizona when there was no state of Arizona at the time the law was created. It's as if they were saying you have to overturn every law of a former territory which no longer exists after it becomes a state. But hey, we have a lot of crazy laws on the books already in many states.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
The present Arizona Supreme Court is attempting to base their ruling on Arizona Territorial Law. I would think that the state of Arizona would challenge the present Arizona Supreme Court ruling noting that the Territorial Abortion Law was not written to apply to the "STATE" of Arizona.
In the meantime, Arizona citizens should petition the state to put the issue on the ballot so the people can vote on it.
I'm pretty sure they already have enough signatures to put it on the ballot...................
Arizona governor ‘confident’ voters will have chance to enshrine abortion rights in November
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said Tuesday that she’s confident voters will have the opportunity to enshrine abortion rights in November and reverse a decision from the state’s Supreme Court that makes virtually all abortions in the state illegal.
Hobbs joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper hours after the state’s highest court rejected arguments for a 15-week abortion ban and upheld a law from 1864, before Arizona was even a state.
“Arizonans are going to weigh in on this and enshrine abortion in our state’s constitution in November, and I am confident that, when given the opportunity, they will vote to protect abortion,” she said.
Hobbs said efforts to enshrine abortion access in the state have already surpassed the number of signatures to have ballot access in this year’s election and still have more months to gain support.
“This is a commonsense measure that is supported by the vast majority of Arizonans in terms of protecting access,” she said. “And you know, certainly it’s going to motivate voters in November.”
The Arizona Right to Abortion Initiative may appear on the state’s ballot this fall as a constitutional amendment. It would establish the fundamental right to abortion and says the state cannot interfere before the point of fetal viability, the point at which a fetus could survive outside the uterus.
The 4-2 decision Tuesday makes abortion almost entirely illegal in the state. It will make performing or helping a pregnant person obtain an abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison. The law will effectively close abortion clinics in the state, but Hobbs said it’s still unclear when that would be.
She’s called on the Republican-led legislature in the state to repeal the law immediately. She told Cooper that she’s concerned for the care of people from when the ruling is enforced until the election but will do everything in her power to help.
“Not only will Arizonans have the chance to weigh in on this ballot measure, but they’ll also have a chance to elect new legislators who will fight to protect their freedoms instead of taking them away.”
Hobbs has criticized Republican lawmakers in the state who have not taken her up on repealing the ban since she took office last year.
She has issued an executive order barring county attorneys from prosecuting women and doctors from performing abortions, which still stands. Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) said “no woman or doctor will be prosecuted” while she serves as attorney general.
Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. They just couldn't leave this issue alone.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
swish...obviously the radical right thought they could bully and BS women enough to get themselves re-elected. IMO, they grossly under estimated how women would react to having a 50yr right to abortion taken away by the minority.
The abortion issue affects ALL WOMEN, regardless of political party and it's going to take a few elections of voting out those responsible for overturning R v W. Only then will some of the slow learners on the radical rw realize just how powerful "the woman's vote is".
Ok, I get that this has a more direct effect upon women, but any sensible person can figure out the personal consequences pretty easily.
Republicans are on the wrong side of this and it will get worse than better. This is a more significant issue than most other issues of the day, and I hope but do not expect a change from the Republicans. Trump's "live with it - it's the new law" did not help.
First, comes the medical reluctance of health care providers, the pregnancy horror stories (Texas, Ohio), then the mifepristone, then IVF, and IUD, and the birth control pill are in the eyesight of the GOP.
I suspect voting and state constitutional amendments are the path forward.
All of this could have been anticipated from the Dobbs decision, which was made in a vacuum. Elections have consequences, and so do Supreme Court decisions.
Maybe those who decided Roe vs Wade were not misguided as Alito would like you to believe. Yeah they made up rules in the absence of laws, but those rules appear to be a more thought out approach involving the consequences of making such a poor decision.
There will be no playoffs. Can’t play with who we have out there and compounding it with garbage playcalling and worse execution. We don’t have good skill players on offense period. Browns 20 - Bears 17.
Next thing we know they’ll be bringing this law back.
1641 Laws support scalping and raping and enslaving Native women Portrait of William Kieft Portrait of William Kieft The Dutch governor of Manhattan, Willem Kieft, offers the first bounty in North America for Indian scalps in 1641, just 21 years after the Puritans land at Plymouth Rock. The Massachusetts Bay Colony offers a bounty of $60 per Indian scalp and money for every Native prisoner sold into slavery. The governors of the colonies institute scalping as a method for one Indian tribe to eliminate another tribe, and to have colonists eliminate as many Indians as possible. Colonial men are allowed to rape and enslave any Native woman or child. Moreover, colonial law gives permission to “kill savage Indians on sight at will” (Oxendine, 2019). In an article for “The American Historical Review” in 2015, Benjamin Madley writes, “Policymakers offered bounties for Native American heads or scalps in at least twenty-three states of their colonial, territorial, or Mexican antecedents" ("Scalping in America," 2007).
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. – Jackie Robinson
These are the laws and policies brought from the “civilized” world, just so everyone is aware.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
These folks seem to think their opinions on the Arizona abortion issue represent the majority in Arizona...
Radical GOP lawmaker, Sen. Anthony Kern led the prayer circle, who were reported to be speaking in "tongues", over the Ariz. state seal in the Ariz. Capitol building.
Those participating did not realize that someone was recording their event.
What confuses me the most about this courts ruling is that the law they're using as precedent was not a law created by the state of Arizona. The law they used to decide the case was created during the civil war era well before Arizona ever became a state.
On the larger issue, what confuses me is there is verified proof that if you leave it to the people, they want the right to abortion. They want a Roe v Wade type of law in place. Every state that has had the opportunity to vote on it, even blood red Ohio, have passed it. Even with all the tricks and shananigans that Republicans pulled trying to stop that vote or make in unfair. It was still voted in.
It's the will of the people.. Even trump thinks ( or so he said) that it's about the will of the people yet Republicans keep trying to Stand in the way.
You'd think that if they want to win elections they'd get the message but NOPE.....
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Arizona Republicans block attempt to repeal abortion ban
The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of "Shame! Shame!" on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state's newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman's life is at risk.
The state Supreme Court cleared the way on Tuesday for enforcement of the pre-statehood law.
Arizona abortion providers vowed Wednesday to continue service until they're forced to stop, possibly within weeks, and state Attorney General Kris Mayes said she "will not prosecute anyone under this draconian law."
State legislators convened as pressure mounted from Democrats and some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, for them to intervene.
House Democrats and at least one Republican tried to open discussion on a repeal of the 1864 abortion ban, which holds no exceptions for rape or incest. GOP leaders, who command the majority, cut it off twice and quickly adjourned for the week. Outraged Democrats erupted in finger-waving chants of "Shame! Shame!"
Republican state Rep. Teresa Martinez, of Casa Grande, said there was no reason to rush the debate. She accused Democrats of "screaming at us and engaging in extremist and insurrectionist behavior on the House floor." The GOP-led Senate briefly convened without debate on abortion.
"We are navigating in extremely complex, emotional and important area of law and policy," said Martinez, the GOP House whip. "In my opinion, removing healthy babies from healthy mothers is not health care nor reproductive care. Pregnancy is not an illness. It should be celebrated. It is an abortion that terminates life."
Democratic legislators seized on national interest in the state's abortion ban.
"We've got the eyes of the world watching Arizona right now," said Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson. "We know that the Supreme Court decision yesterday is extreme. And we know that should the 1864 ban on abortion remain a law in Arizona, people will die."
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs called inaction on the proposed repeal unconscionable.
"Radical legislators protected a Civil War-era total abortion ban that jails doctors, strips women of our bodily autonomy and puts our lives at risk," she said.
According to AP VoteCast, 6 out of 10 Arizona voters in the 2022 midterm elections said they would favor guaranteeing legal abortion nationwide. The state recorded 11,530 abortions in 2022, the last data available, according to the Department of Health Services.
At Camelback Family Planning in Phoenix, where about one-fourth of Arizona abortions are performed, registered nurse Ashleigh Feiring said abortion services were still available and that staff hope emergency legislation will avoid interruptions or closure.
"Our plan is to stay open as long as possible," Feiring said. "Our clinic has been shut down twice in the last four years, but we've always resumed service."
At the same time, anti-abortion groups including SBA Pro-Life America urged Arizona residents to oppose a proposed ballot initiative aimed at placing abortion rights in Arizona's state constitution.
"They would wipe away all pro-life laws put in place by the Legislature, reflective of the will of the people," SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.
Hobbs, however, predicted that outrage will motivate voters to enshrine abortion rights directly in state law.
"The fight is not over, for sure," she said.
Grace Harders drove around metro Phoenix on Wednesday looking for an opportunity to sign an abortion rights petition. She said she wouldn't know what to do if she had an unplanned pregnancy but knew she'd be scared.
"I'm a pro-choice person, and I want to ensure the right for all women," Harders said.
Abortion rights advocates said they've gathered more than 500,000 signatures — far above what they need to add a ballot question asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion until viability, when a fetus could survive outside the womb.
Arriving for a campaign fundraiser in Atlanta, Trump said the Arizona court decision went too far and called on state lawmakers to change it even as he defended the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"It's all about states' rights," the former president told supporters and journalists. "It'll be straightened out."
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, most Republican-controlled states have started enforcing new bans or restrictions, and most Democratic-dominated ones have sought to protect abortion access.
The Arizona ruling suggests doctors can be prosecuted for performing the procedure. The 1864 law carries a sentence of two to five years in prison for doctors or anyone else who assists in an abortion.
"Physicians are now on notice that all abortions, except those necessary to save a woman's life, are illegal," the Arizona Supreme Court said in its decision, adding that additional criminal and regulatory sanctions may apply to abortions performed after 15 weeks, the state's previous time limit for the procedure.
Beyond that, the court ruling also ignited concern that enforcement might interfere with handling miscarriages.
Enforcing the 1864 law won't begin for at least two weeks. However, plaintiffs in the case — including Planned Parenthood — said the delay could last up to two months, based on an agreement reached in a related case.
"It's all about states' rights," the former president told supporters and journalists. "It'll be straightened out."
Just who is going to believe or trust "a word" Trump or the GOP have to say on the abortion rights issue, ever again..?
Trump says the "Arizona Supreme Court went too far" and proclaims that the abortion issue "will get worked out"... then Trump releases ads "bragging about how he ending roe v wade".
Trump has to be driving RWers absolutely nuts as he attempts to be on "all sides" of the abortion issue and blatantly lying that this is what American people wanted.
Biden is taking advantage of Trump and the RWing's efforts to be on both sides of the issue with a new ad out today.
It's the will of the people.. Even trump thinks ( or so he said) that it's about the will of the people yet Republicans keep trying to Stand in the way.
You'd think that if they want to win elections they'd get the message but NOPE.....
Most people haven't been paying attention over the last decade or so. GOP politicians have been pushing policy that is widely unpopular with the majority of Americans. They have been gaming the system through gerrymandering, and have been increasingly spouting authoritarian rhetoric. I don't think winning elections is part of their long-term goals. I think they want to run this country as a minority hegemony. Projected end result: those voters who vote Team Red out of tribal loyalty will find themselves in straights just as dire as those who voted against Team Red- because once power is consolidated, it will be used on ALL citizens, regardless of voting history.
We've seen it time and again throughout history. It's easily predictable, because Human Nature never changes.
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