LOS ANGELES, United States: Arizona lawmakers on Wednesday voted to repeal the 1864 law that almost completely bans abortion in the US battleground state, after moderate Republicans broke with the party and sided with Democrats.
The vote in the Arizona State House of Representatives was 32-29 after repeated attempts to repeal the Civil War-era bill were blocked by the right wing of the Republican majority.
The western state, a must-win for both President Joe Biden and his Republican challenger Donald Trump in this year’s race for the White House, was split this month when the Supreme Court ruled on the 160-year-old law.
Drafted long before Arizona became a state and before women had the right to vote, the law criminalized abortion for anyone and was punishable by up to five years in prison.
There were no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of women with unborn children.
Arizona’s Republican-controlled Senate last week voted in favour of a bill to repeal the law, with moderates joining Democrats.
The bill will have to go through three readings in the upper chamber before becoming law, a process expected to take several weeks.
