WATCH: Arizona court decision criminalizing most abortion ‘disastrous,’ Sen. Mark Kelly says

A decision by the Arizona Supreme Court that effectively criminalizes most abortions in the state is “disastrous,” Sen. Mark Kelly said on Tuesday.

“This is going to criminalize doctors for doing their jobs, and it is going to have a devastating effect on the health and freedom of women in Arizona,” Kelly said at a news conference in Washington, D.C.

The state’s highest court ruled that an 1864 law making abortion illegal except when the life of the mother is at risk could be enforced. It provides no exceptions for rape or incest. The issue was brought to Arizona’s courts after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had long guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

“This law may have been written 160 years ago, but it is only being reinstated now because of politicians who worked to overturn Roe v. Wade,” Kelly said.

Subscribe:
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour