Arizona House Sends Repeal of Near-Total Abortion Ban to Senate

The Arizona state House of Representatives has approved a proposal to repeal the state's near-total abortion ban, which dates back to 1864. The bill passed with a vote of 32-29, with three Republicans joining all 29 Democrats in support of the measure. If the Senate also approves the bill, as expected, Arizona would allow abortions up to 15 weeks. This development comes after repeated attempts to overturn the law were previously thwarted by right-wing Republicans. The state's supreme court had recently ruled that the 160-year-old law was enforceable, making it a criminal offense for anyone to carry out an abortion and punishable by prison sentences of up to five years.