Mornin’ Politocadoes!
Arizona’s ban on abortion continues to be tested in the legislature. After the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the obscure 1864 total abortion ban in the state, efforts in both chambers of the State Legislature have started in earnest to repeal the ban. The latest effort saw a tie vote in the State House 30-30 and a narrow passage of the repeal in the State Senate 16-14 voting in favor of the repeal. 3 Republicans joined the repeal, possibly due to being in competitive districts.
The House will vote on the measure again, however the House Speaker has vowed to continue to block passage. House Speaker Ben Toma said he will stop his chamber from voting on the bill if the Senate passes it; a tactic that has worked twice so far. A vote to override the House Speaker could make a vote on the bill possible, but most Republicans have been hesitant about doing so. One of the Republican defectors Rep. Matt Gress has said that he believes other will join him if it goes for another vote. Only one more Republican would be needed.
Even with passage of a repeal, it wouldn’t go into effect until 90 days after the session ends. And sessions have no fixed date, the longest one having lasted until last July. The soonest a Senate vote could happen is in two weeks due to legislative procedures. It would then take another two weeks to get final approval after it goes through the House due to the chambers meeting only once a week.
Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes have also been actively fighting the ban. They have pledged that the law won’t be enforced, going so far as to strip county attorneys of the ability to prosecute abortion-related crimes and centralizing that authority under the Attorney General’s office. Nevertheless, abortion providers seem reluctant to provide illegal abortion services despite this support. The next step is the Arizona Abortion Access Act which would expand access to point of fetal viability at 24 weeks. Republicans are also preparing their own ballot measures.
https://www.axios.com/2024/04/17/arizona-abortion-ban-repeal
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. Something to keep in mind! Police are using digital data to prosecute abortion seekers, and Facebook and Google are helping them! Even if they are not legally required to do so, the tech giants will aid them in this since it’s technically *against the law*. Please be careful when looking for abortion providers or helping someone who is looking for that assistance.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues even if the emergencies end, continue to vaccinate using the latest version of the FDA approved vaccines by Phizer and Moderna. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to your own vaccination status.
Also, according to recent polls approximately 50% of adults are not planning on getting their Covid-19 boosters. So please get them and older adults should also look to be vaccinated for RSV! It’s been difficult to get adults onboard with getting the RSV shots as it is. Remember that getting these shots could potentially keep thousands of Americans who do not have to be there out of the ICU this winter.