"Arizona's Evolving Abortion Landscape: From 1864 Ban to Present-Day Activism"

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled to enforce a Civil War-era state law that amounts to a near-total ban on abortion, putting reproductive care for about 1.6 million people at risk. The law, first passed in 1864, was originally enforced differently and was part of a wave of early anti-abortion legislation aimed at professionalizing medicine. The ruling has sparked legal and political debates, with Democrats seeking to repeal the law and Republicans stymying their efforts. The enforcement of the ban and its harmonization with a 15-week ban passed in 2022 remain uncertain, while the evolving medical and popular understanding of pregnancy and abortion complicates its application.