Arizona Senate Votes to Overturn 1864 Abortion Ban

Arizona Republicans voted to overturn the state’s 1864-era abortion ban Wednesday in a shocking about-face that could have ripple effects into November.

Two Republicans, Sens. Shawnna Bolick and T.J. Shope, voted with Democrats in the Senate to repeal the ban, which bans all abortions except to save the woman’s life, in a contentious session in which one Republican called the state of his party “disgusting.”

The reversal comes after last month’s ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that the near-total ban is enforceable, replacing the 15-week ban that has been in place since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022.