Arizona pushes abortion to centre stage before US election - BBC News

Republicans have scrambled to respond to public condemnation of Arizona's court ruling this week.

14 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Donald Trump has said Arizona's Supreme Court went "too far" by paving the way for a near-total ban on abortions in the state.By Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondentThe Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday pushed the abortion issue to centre stage in a state that could be pivotal in deciding who wins November's US presidential election.

It has prompted Democrats to go on the attack, and set many Republicans scrambling to align themselves more closely with the public sentiment.

The court paved the way for a near-total ban on abortion, a law passed in 1864 when Arizona was still a US territory, to go into effect in the coming weeks if there is no further legal action. The law had been pre-empted for nearly a half-century, as a result of the 1973 US Supreme Court ruling in Roe v Wade that guaranteed a woman's right to abortion.

Two years ago, however, the US Supreme Court overturned that abortion precedent. This gave old bans like the one in Arizona - which became a state in 1912 - new life.

The Arizona court decision prompted quick condemnation from the Biden administration as well as from local Democrats and pro-choice activists.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68785618

---