Republicans panic after AZ Supreme Court revives 1864 abortion ban

Also inside: Iowa Republicans pass a bill to arm teachers, while a truly insane story emerges in New Hampshire

Millions of Arizona women will soon live under a near-total abortion ban, after their state Supreme Court last week announced the reinstatement of an 1864 law that criminalizes abortion care of any kind, except to save the life of the mother.

Abortion services in the state will now be banned in nearly every instance, and any medical provider found in violation will receive a minimum sentence of two years in prison.

The law that will now regulate the lives of Arizona women—forcing many of them to give birth and putting other pregnant women’s lives at risk—was first passed at a time when women couldn’t vote, couldn’t have a bank account, couldn’t marry outside their race, and when the age of consent was 10 years old.

The ban was also written by a serial pedophile who, during his life, married a 12-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old girl, abandoning them all. 

The horrifying impact and optics of the ban explain why Arizona Republicans are now tripping over themselves to disavow their own past anti-abortion positions, including a truly remarkable flip-flop from Kari Lake. 

But our team of reporters at the Copper Courier has alllllllll the receipts and is holding elected Republicans accountable for their shameless about-face. 

More from COURIER’s other newsrooms:

NEW HAMPSHIRE

State Rep who threatened shooting spree of police is an NH Trump campaign chair

From Granite Post: NH State Representative Jonathan Stone, who was revealed to have been fired as a police officer following an investigation into threats of mass shootings and rape, has multiple ties to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in the state.

NORTH CAROLINA

Women share horror stories caused by red-state abortion bans

From Cardinal & Pine: In a visit to Charlotte, two women from Republican-led states opened up about traumatic experiences caused by the kind of extreme abortion bans that could soon become NC’s reality.

IOWA

Iowa Senate passes bill to arm school staff, give legal immunity in shootings

From Iowa Starting Line: HF 2586 allows school districts, private schools, and colleges to arm permitted staff. Armed staffers would undergo a one-time “in-person legal training, including training on qualified immunity, annual emergency medical training.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Anti-LGBTQ attacks in Pittsburgh linked to GOP DC think-tank

From The Keystone: Attacks against Pennsylvania’s LGBTQ community are being astroturfed by conservative organizations as they become more popular in the Republican Party.

MICHIGAN

‘You are not safe’: Elizabeth Warren warns Michigan women ahead of presidential election

From The ‘Gander: Abortion is protected under the state Constitution in Michigan. But Republican-led efforts to enact a nationwide abortion ban could still jeopardize those rights, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren cautioned Michiganders this month.

VIRGINIA

Gov. Glenn Youngkin won’t add legal protections for birth control access

From Dogwood: Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has blocked a number of reproductive health care measures this month. Youngkin claims to support access to contraception but is stopping short of embracing making it a legal right in Virginia.

FLORIDA

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: ‘Fundamental freedoms are at stake’

From Floricua: Mucarsel-Powell, who is running to unseat Republican Senator Rick Scott in November, sat down to talk about the issues affecting the Sunshine State, and why she believes that “we need to put democracy and freedom above anything else.”

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Republicans are still trying to spread 2020 conspiracy theories four years later

From Up North News: Sen. Van Wanggaard (R) insisted he was not saying President Joe Biden stole the 2020 election, but he then repeated the conspiratorial claim that not all of the “documentation” about the election may be known.

NEVADA

Rosen slams ‘unacceptable’ plan for Reno mail facility

From The Nevadan: The proposed retooling of a USPS facility in Reno would reroute Nevadans’ mail through California and make it harder to get vital mail in a timely fashion. It could also eliminate jobs.

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