President Joe Biden made time in his busy schedule to express his disapproval of a recent state Supreme Court decision concerning an abortion law that dates back to 1864. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the law, which prohibits most abortions but includes an exception for cases where the mother’s life is at risk. Additionally, healthcare providers who perform the procedure could face jail sentences ranging from two to five years, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
“Millions of Arizonans will soon live under an even more extreme and dangerous abortion ban, which fails to protect women even when their health is at risk or in tragic cases of rape or incest,” he said.
Biden went on to say that he has always favored a “women’s right to choose.”
“This cruel ban was first enacted in 1864 — more than 150 years ago, before Arizona was even a state and well before women had secured the right to vote,” he continued. “This ruling is a result of the extreme agenda of Republican elected officials who are committed to ripping away women’s freedom.”
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris inaccurately attributed the Arizona ruling to former President Donald Trump.
“Arizona just rolled back the clock to a time before women could vote — and, by his own admission, there’s one person responsible: Donald Trump,” she said.
“This even more extreme and dangerous ban criminalizes almost all abortion care in the state and puts women’s lives at risk. It provides no exceptions for rape, incest, or health,” Harris added. “It’s a reality because of Donald Trump, who brags about being ‘proudly the person responsible’ for overturning Roe v. Wade, and made it possible for states to enforce cruel bans.”
The allegation is baseless as Trump was not involved in the decision made in Arizona or the enactment of the law in the first place.
“Vice President Harris and I stand with the vast majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose,” Biden concluded his statement. “We will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and call on Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade for women in every state.”
The recent decision by the Arizona Supreme Court aligns with the announcement made by Arizona for Abortion Access, a collective of reproductive rights groups, confirming that they have gathered more than 384,000 legitimate signatures needed to include the abortion issue on the November ballot. In the meantime, Biden’s campaign and their supporters in the media have focused primarily on criticizing Trump for his stance that states should have the authority to determine abortion policies, a position consistent with both the U.S. Supreme Court decision and the fundamental concept of federalism.
The Examiner added:
“The campaign released a 60-ad “Willow’s Box” ad blaming Trump for a Texas woman nearly dying after she was unable to receive an abortion as she suffered a miscarriage. Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez released a memo arguing Trump would ban abortion nationwide.”
Trump has emphasized his U.S. Supreme Court selections as contributing to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, he has not explicitly stated his intention to implement a nationwide ban or restrictions on abortion. On the other hand, Democrats, who have been asserting that Trump poses the greatest danger to democracy, have suggested codifying abortion into federal law, thereby stripping citizens of their ability to determine the matter through their state representatives and legislatures.
