Arizona Supreme Court to Review Legality of 159-Year-Old Abortion Ban
The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court's ruling that concluded abortion doctors cannot be prosecuted under a pre-statehood law that bans the procedure in nearly all cases. The lower court decision stated that doctors couldn't be charged for performing abortions in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy because other Arizona laws passed over the years allow them to perform the procedure. The review comes after Dr. Eric Hazelrigg, the medical director of anti-abortion counseling centers, requested the court to uphold the 1864 law that imposes a near total ban on abortions. The law provides no exceptions for rape or incest and allows abortions only if a mother's life is in danger.