April 09, 2024

Duckworth: Donald Trump is Solely Responsible for Arizona Abortion Ban Ruling

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling that effectively upheld a near-total abortion ban in that state by allowing a law written during the Civil War in 1864—which criminalizes abortion for patients, providers and anyone who helps a patient obtain an abortion with exceptions only to save the mother’s life—to be “prospectively” enforced. This ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court could never have happened had Donald Trump not successfully overturned Roe v. Wade with his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court—something he is proud to have done.

“Make no mistake: Donald Trump is solely responsible for reviving Arizona’s 160-year-old, near-total abortion ban, just as he is solely responsible for Florida’s 6 week ban—and the threats to IVF access around the country we’ve seen in recent years.

“Again and again, Donald Trump brags about being the one responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade, which eviscerated women’s rights to basic healthcare and set us back decades. And now, thanks to him, the Arizona Supreme Court just dragged women in that state back to the Civil War era.

“A woman’s most intimate health decisions should not be up for debate in every state and they should not be decided by extreme right-wing judges in Arizona or any other state in America. To protect abortion, IVF and reproductive freedom for women everywhere, Congress must restore Roe and enshrine full reproductive rights into federal law immediately.”

Throughout her time in the Senate, Duckworth has made protecting reproductive freedom in the face of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade a top priority. Duckworth is the lead sponsor of the Access to Family Building Act, legislation that would establish a federal right for patients to access IVF, for healthcare providers to provide IVF if they want to as well as for insurance companies to cover IVF. In February, Duckworth led a group of Senate Democrats in calling for the bill’s passage through unanimous consent, but U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) objected, blocking the effort. This was the second time Senate Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide. The Access to Family Building Act builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022.

Duckworth was the first Senator to give birth while serving in office and had both of her children with the help of IVF. In 2018 she advocated for the Senate to change its rules so she could bring her infant onto the Senate floor. She has made protecting and expanding access to essential reproductive healthcare a top priority.

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