Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed an executive order on Friday that effectively stops county attorney generals in the state from prosecuting abortion cases.
The order strips the power of Arizona's 15 county attorney generals from prosecuting any abortion-related crimes. The order gives Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, sole discretion "over criminal prosecutions of medical providers, other entities, or individuals for violations of Arizona's abortion statutes," Axios reported.
Hobbs' order also took additional steps to protect abortion rights in Arizona, including barring state agencies from assisting with criminal abortion investigations, as well as the blocking of extraditions to other states for abortion violations that wouldn't be illegal in Arizona. Hobbs also established a Council on Protecting Reproductive Freedom to "expand access to sexual and reproductive freedom health care in Arizona."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental rights of Arizonans," Hobbs wrote in a tweet announcing the order. She added that the consolidation of prosecuting powers under Mayes will help to "ensure differences in application of the law by county attorneys do not restrict access to legal abortions."
Mayes released a statement saying that "Arizona has leaders that are committed to clarity and sanity." She added that "anti-abortion extremists will stop at nothing in their attempts to impose their radical beliefs on the rest of the country. I don't accept that."
The order was signed nearly a year to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, bringing the issue of abortion rights back to individual states. It comes as pro-choice activists continue to campaign for additional protections in Arizona. A state appeals court overturned an abortion ban throughout Arizona in December 2022, in a case that also protects doctors who perform abortions. The case is pending before the Arizona Supreme Court.
-
‘This estrangement from death has beget euphemisms’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Political cartoons for October 30Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include missing SNAP benefits, working without pay, and Graham Platner's terrible tattoo
-
Should Labour break manifesto pledge and raise taxes?Today's Big Question There are ‘powerful’ fiscal arguments for an income tax rise but it could mean ‘game over’ for the government
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
