by Cameron Arcand
Arizona lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed House Bill 2677 on Wednesday afternoon, which would repeal an abortion law that the Arizona Supreme Court said earlier this month could take effect. It now heads to the Senate.
The legislation passed the House 32-28, with Republican Reps. Matt Gress, Justin Wilmeth and Tim Dunn voting in favor. This was the third week motion attempts were made, but this was the first week Dunn and Wilmeth voted with Gress and Democrats on a repeal.
The legislation would take 90 days to go into effect since there is no emergency clause. An emergency clause would have required a 2/3 vote.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 to lift the stay on a law created in 1864 and reaffirmed in 1977 that only allows abortion only in the event of a mother’s life being at risk. Most Democrats, including Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, have asked the legislature to repeal the law and opposed to the court’s decision.
Three Republican lawmakers – Rep. Matt Gress, Sen. Shawnna Bolick and Sen. T.J. Shope – have called for the repeal of the law in favor of the 15-week law currently in effect, which was signed into law by former Gov. Doug Ducey in 2022, just months before Roe v. Wade was overturned. On the Senate side, a bill sponsored by Sen. Anna Hernandez, D-Phoenix, is making its way through the process.
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Cameron Arcand is a staff reporter for The Center Square covering Arizona. A contributor since 2022, Arcand previously worked for Salem Media Group and The Western Journal.
Photo “Arizona Capitol” by cmh2315fl. CC BY-NC 2.0.
