Former President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he believes Arizona’s abortion law goes too far after the state’s Supreme Court ruled that a 160-year-old ban on nearly all abortions can go into effect.
The law, which was passed before Arizona was a state in 1864, came before the state’s highest court after an appeals court ruled in December 2022 that doctors could not be prosecuted under the abortion ban even though the law mandates that anyone who aids an abortion, except in the case of saving the mother’s life, be punished by two to five years in prison, AZ Central reported. In a 4-2 ruling on Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court said the 1864 law is “is now enforceable” and can take effect in 14 days pending any additional legal challenges.
“Did Arizona go too far?” a reporter asked Trump.
“Yeah, they did. That will be straightened out,” the former president responded. “As you know it’s all about state’s rights. It’ll be straightened out. I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going bring it back to within reason, and that’ll be taken care of, I think, rather quickly.”
Trump was also asked about Florida’s law limiting abortion to within the first six weeks of pregnancy, often referred to as a “heartbeat” law and supported by a majority of conservatives and pro-lifers.
“Florida is probably, maybe, going to change also,” Trump said, adding, “It’s the will of the people. This is what I’ve been saying. It’s a perfect system.”
“So for 52 years, people have been wanting to end Roe v. Wade to get it back to the states. We did that. It was an incredible achievement,” the Republican presidential candidate added. “And now the states have it, and the states are putting out what they want. It’s the will of the people. So Florida is probably going to change; Arizona is definitely going to change. Everybody wants that to happen.”
Q: "Did Arizona go too far?"
Former President Trump: "Yeah, they did. That'll be straightened out. As you know it's all about state's rights. It'll be straightened out. I'm sure that the governor and everybody else are going bring it back to within reason…" pic.twitter.com/Dc9qluxemc
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 10, 2024
Trump’s remarks echo what he said on Monday when he released a highly anticipated statement addressing his stance on abortion. In his statement, the former president said he was proud of being responsible for the end of Roe v. Wade, adding that the issue of abortion should be left to the states.
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“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said.
“At the end of the day, this is about the will of the people,” Trump continued, adding, “You must follow your heart on this issue, but remember: you must also win elections to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country.”
Trump has also said that he supports abortion exceptions for rape and incest, which are not included in the 1864 Arizona abortion law.
Some Republicans and pro-life advocates disagree on the Arizona law that is set to go into effect just months before the 2024 election. Pro-life leaders such as Lila Rose of LiveAction and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser celebrated the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision while Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, along with Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), who are both running in tight races, said they oppose Tuesday’s ruling.
Democrats, who are seeking to push abortion into the spotlight and make it a main issue in the election, attempted to connect the Arizona law to Trump’s policies. The Biden campaign said the 160-year-old Arizona abortion law “is now enforceable because Trump ended Roe.”