April 10, 2024

For the second time today, House Republicans upheld 1864 abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. This is happening at the same time that MAGA Republicans are lying to Arizonans about their long and detailed record of undermining abortion rights.

“These MAGA Republicans are blindly committed to fulfilling Donald Trump’s call to ban abortion and it’s exactly why they are going to be ousted by Arizona voters in November,” said Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano. “They have consistently shown that all they want is an abortion ban and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. They cannot sweep their record under the rug–  Arizona’s MAGA Republicans are cowards and rightfully scared that Arizonans will vote them out in November for taking away their rights.”
 

ADLCC Co-Chair Priya Sundareshan added, “I am disgusted by the actions of my peers, both lying about their stance on this issue so important to Arizonans, and refusing to repeal the 1864 ban. We are lucky to have Democrats who will do everything in their power to restore Roe protections for the millions of Arizonans who need reproductive healthcare. This is why we need to flip the legislature, pass the ballot initiative, and stop Republicans from taking away this right ever again.”
 

As a reminder, here’s how Arizona’s MAGA Republicans are lying about their long and detailed of undermining reproductive rights: 

• Rep. Matt Gress sponsored House Bill 2427 sponsored bill establishing the foundation in Arizona for fetal personhood, opening the door for banning reproductive healthcare services such as IVF.
• Rep. Shawnna Bolick joined every Senate Republican in urging voters to refuse to sign the initiative to restore abortion access in Arizona, vowing to introduce anti-abortion legislation including banning abortion at the “moment of conception.”
• Senator T.J. Shope co-sponsored the bill to ban abortions at 15 weeks and it would have prosecuted doctors who performed abortions after 15 weeks.
• Kari Lake has made her opposition to reproductive rights clear, including supporting the 1864 territorial ban on abortion, and said just a few months ago her dangerous positions on abortion “haven’t changed, actually.” Lake’s extreme views include support for banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest for Arizonans, that “life begins at conception,” celebrating the fall of Roe, and “banning those types of abortion pills” in reference to medication abortions.
• Congressman David Schweikert co-sponsored  H.R.816 and H.R. 1011, which is a carbon copy of H.R. 431, Life at Conception Act that House Republicans introduced in 2023. Both pieces of legislation would ban all abortions and does not exclude IVF treatments in defining “person” as “each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization.” 
• Congressman Juan Ciscomani co-sponsored H.R. 7, legislation that prohibits using government subsidies, including tax credits, to purchase insurance plans that cover abortions. Women who are serving in the military, veterans or covered under Medicaid, as well as federal employees and those covered by the Indian Health Service, would not be able to use their credits to purchase insurance that covers abortions.
• Former Governor Doug Ducey pushed through a 15-week ban that was the basis of this court case going to the Arizona Supreme Court, and appointed all the far-right justices that made the ruling today.

Arizona Democrats are prepared to fight for abortion rights up and down the ballot. To learn more about key initiatives, how to vote or how to support Democrats this election cycle, please visit azdem.org.