Biden explained the Arizona court’s decision to ban abortion

Joe Biden called the result of radicalism of Republicans the ruling of the Supreme Court of the state of Arizona on the ban on abortion at the will of the woman.

“This ruling is the result of the radical agenda of elected officials in the Republican Party who seek to take away women’s freedoms,” Biden said.

Speaking of officials, Biden was referring to the members of the Arizona Supreme Court, who were appointed by the already former Republican governor Doug Ducey. Biden emphasized that “the brutal ban was first enacted in 1864 – more than 150 years ago, before Arizona had statehood and long before women had the right to vote.” Biden again urged Congress to pass a federal law guaranteeing abortion rights in every state.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled April 9 to uphold an 1864 law banning abortions at the will of the mother, that is, those that do not involve a threat to a woman’s life or health. The law does not authorize the termination of pregnancies resulting from rape. Failure to comply with the law will be punishable by two to five years in prison. In two weeks, when the court’s decision takes effect, the legal regulation of abortion will revert to the pre-1973 state.

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, a case that guaranteed federal rights regarding abortion. Only three Supreme Court justices opposed the overturn, while six justices voted in favor of the overturn, three of whom were appointed by former president, Republican Donald Trump. According to the court, the U.S. Constitution does not provide a right to abortion.

The decision means that it will have to be done at the level of individual American states to develop appropriate regulations on induced abortion. Due to previous local laws, abortion was completely banned in 10 states located mainly in the central and southern parts of the country: Alabama, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota. Idaho, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and Florida prohibit abortion after the sixth week.