Abe Hamadeh, a Republican running for Arizona's 8th Congressional District, told Newsmax on Friday that the recent Arizona court ruling on a Civil War-era abortion law is "a complete win for Democrats."
The Arizona Supreme Court this week ruled that the state must adhere to an 1864 law banning almost all abortions, with an exemption for cases in which the mother's life is in immediate danger.
The state previously passed a ban on abortions performed after 15 weeks of pregnancy in 2022, with a prison sentence of anywhere from two to five years for abortion providers who violate that restriction.
Hamadeh, a former prosecutor who previously ran for Arizona attorney general but lost to Democrat Kris Mayes, said on "Newsline" that the controversial Arizona abortion ban that dates back to 1864 is "not being enforced by the government," and noted that "this has been a complete win for Democrats" because the law "won't go into effect until 90 days after" this ruling, leaving lawmakers enough time to repeal it.
Hamadeh said he's "skeptical" about the Arizona Supreme Court's reasons for releasing this decision now, adding, "they released this decision now because … there's going to be an abortion amendment on the ballot this November."
He went on to note that Arizona Gov. "Katie Hobbs, and the AG Mayes, they both said that they're not going to enforce this law anyway. So in reality, the effects [of] this law, I don't believe are actually going to be that significant."
Hobbs signed an executive order last June that grants the state attorney general authority over prosecuting any cases in the state that relate to abortion. Mayes, whose office has not prosecuted any patients or providers under the state's current law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, told CNN earlier this month that her office does not intend to prosecute any cases banned by the 1864 law.
Hamadeh said, "All [the ruling] does is allow the Democrats to create this narrative that their rights are under attack."
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