Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life

What happened
Arizona's Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a near-total ban on abortions first enacted in 1864. The law, enforceable again after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life.
Who said what
President Joe Biden called the 4-2 decision by the all-Republican-appointed state Supreme Court "cruel" and "extreme." Reinstating a law "from a time when Arizona wasn't a state, the Civil War was raging and women couldn't even vote will go down in history as a stain on our state," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. "As long as I am Attorney General, no woman or doctor will be prosecuted under this law," Mayes added.
The commentary
Mayes' decision to not enforce the 160-year-old law could be "challenged by one of the state's county attorneys," The Arizona Republic said. Anti-abortion conservatives are cheering but "Republican lawmakers and candidates" scrambled to distance themselves from the ruling, Axios said. Former President Donald Trump tried to "neutralize or at least muddy" the "galvanizing" abortion issue on Monday, Dan Balz said in The Washington Post. "The Arizona Supreme Court showed just how difficult" that will be.
Subscribe to 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.
What next?
The ban will likely remain unenforced for at least 60 days. The advocacy group Arizonans for Abortion Access said it has enough signatures for a November ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Store closings could accelerate throughout 2025
Under the Radar Major brands like Macy's and Walgreens are continuing to shutter stores
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top US prosecutors resign rather than drop Adams case
speed read The interim US attorney for the Southern District and five senior Justice Department officials quit following an order to drop the charges against Mayor Eric Adams
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms Gabbard as intelligence chief
Speed Read The controversial former Democratic lawmaker, now Trump loyalist, was sworn in as director of national intelligence
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, Putin plan Ukraine peace talks without Kyiv
Speed Read President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not included
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published