Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Is Arizona’s abortion ban a return to the 19th century? No, it’s actually worse

Members of Arizona for Abortion Access, the ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona State Constitution, hold a press conference and protest condemning Arizona House Republicans and the 1864 abortion ban during a recess from a legislative session at the Arizona House of Representatives on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Phoenix.

Arizona’s Supreme Court opened a new front in the war on women’s reproductive rights last week when it resurrected an obscure 1864 law that bans abortion in almost all cases. Critics of the ruling say the court has thrown Arizona back into the 19th century.

That isn’t entirely fair to the 19th century.

The irony of last week’s reactionary ruling is that the author of the original law, , was a progressive by the standards of his time. The politics of Arizona’s current justices bear little resemblance to

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