On April 25, the Arizona House of Representatives voted to overturn the state’s abortion ban that has been in place since 1864. This was possible with three republican party members, Matt Gress, Tim Dunn and Justin Wilmeth, voting with the democrats in favor of the ban. 

The history of this bill goes back to the Civil War era, when the court ruled that the state must adhere to a law that bans all abortions in nearly all stages of pregnancy except in the cases where the pregnant person’s life is at risk due to the baby. Cases where pregnancy was caused by rape or incest were not an exception to this law. Going against the mandate would lead to imprisonment for two to five years.  

“I think it’s great that Arizona is taking a step forward instead of going backward in time,” Sarah Kim (10), AP World History student, said. “The fact that people were voting outside of their parties in order to stand up for their moral beliefs is a sign that we are progressing to a society divided simply based on political stance.”

After such bold changes in the lines of political parties, abortion rights voters are continuing their efforts for the State Constitution to pass a referendum by November to guarantee abortion rights.