Arizona State Rep. Travis Grantham (R) recently shared that contrary to popular belief, the controversial 1864 abortion law in Arizona was actually recodified by a Democrat governor and legislature in 1977. Despite efforts by Democrats to repeal the law, it was revealed that it was Democrats who recodified the law less than 50 years ago.
Grantham explained that when Arizona was transitioning into statehood, old territorial rules were made into law by the first legislature, including a rule that essentially banned all abortions unless the life of the mother was at risk. This law was recodified multiple times, most recently in 1977 by Democrat governor Raul Castro and a Democrat legislature.
He pointed out that even a current 81-year-old Democrat senator who was part of the legislature at the time voted for the recodification. Grantham criticized the Democrat Party for their excuses and lack of good reasons behind their actions regarding the abortion law.
Despite being pro-life himself, Grantham highlighted the importance of the original law accounting for the life of the mother and expressed his personal opposition to abortion. He mentioned attempts to update the law to include exceptions for cases of rape or incest, but ultimately the issue ended up before the state Supreme Court due to the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
After the Supreme Court re-evaluated the situation, it was determined that the original law from 1864 still stands in Arizona. The legislature had previously enacted a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions, with a provision to revert to the original law if Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Overall, the controversy surrounding the 1864 abortion law in Arizona has shed light on its history of recodification by Democrats in 1977, bringing into question the motives and actions of both political parties in addressing this contentious issue.
