White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced a ruling out of Arizona Friday that permits an old abortion ban in the state to go into effect.

“Yesterday’s ruling in Arizona is dangerous and will set Arizona women back more than a century — to a time before Arizona was even a state,” the press secretary said in a statement. “While we await next steps on any implementation of the law, the potential consequences of this ruling are catastrophic, dangerous, and unacceptable.”

ARIZONA JUDGE ALLOWS STATE TO ENFORCE DECADES-OLD ABORTION BAN

On Friday, Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson ruled that the state could enforce a law originally passed in the 1800s, before Arizona became a state, that bans almost all abortions except for instances of danger to the mother’s life. The law had previously been prohibited from taking effect due to Roe v. Wade.

“If this decision stands, healthcare providers would face imprisonment of up to five years for fulfilling their duty of care; survivors of rape and incest would be forced to bear the children of their assaulters; and women with medical conditions would face dire health risks,” Jean-Pierre said.

An injunction had been placed on the law while the courts mulled legal challenges to it, but Johnson determined the injunction was no longer necessary. The Biden administration has been vehemently opposed to the torrent of measures red states have been taking to curb abortion access in the wake of the overturning of Roe back in June.

Democrats have hoped that the issue could serve as a motivator for voters in the midterm elections and put Republicans on their back feet. Recently, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) unveiled a measure to ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks of gestation, which Jean-Pierre raised in a statement condemning the ruling out of Arizona.

“This backwards decision exemplifies the disturbing trend across the country of Republican officials at the local and national level dead-set on stripping women of their rights, including through Sen. Graham’s proposed national abortion ban,” she said.

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“The contrast between the President and his focus on moving the country forward and Republican officials’ obsession with taking our country backwards could not be more stark,” she said. “The president and vice president will continue to push Congress to codify Roe to protect women’s access to abortion and healthcare.”

Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ) recently signed a law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy that is slated to go into effect Saturday.

Original Location: White House denounces ‘dangerous’ abortion ruling in Arizona

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