Risky First Move? Arizona Gov.-Elect Katie Hobbs Will Call Abortion Special Session on Day One
By Cameron Arcand | 10:00 PM on December 03, 2022
Arizona Democratic Governor-Elect Katie Hobbs plans to call a special session to clarify state abortion laws on day one of her administration in January, which could put her in an awkward position from the start.
The Democrat is looking to get the 1864 territorial law that only permits abortion in the case of a mother’s health risk repealed, as there are two conflicting laws on the books. The other law is a 15-week ban signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March that does not include exceptions for rape and incest past that point.
Although Hobbs does not support the 15-week ban, she’s operating under the assumption that Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike would prefer the more recent law that many conservative lawmakers voted in favor of.
“My focus right now is just going to be to repeal this law. That should be plain and simple. Again, in terms of representing the majority of Arizonans and being in line with what was a major issue in this election that we just got through, I would be hopeful that some Republicans would be willing to make that change,” Hobbs told KTAR in an interview last month.
While it’s clear that Hobbs is trying to deliver to her base quickly, this could be a poorly calculated move in the long term.
Republicans still hold the majority in the state legislature, and they drive a hard bargain. It may take a lot of convincing to get a Republican to vote with Democrats to repeal the 1864 law, especially so early in the session when everyone is trying to prove themselves.
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https://redstate.com/carcand/2022/12/03/risky-first-move-arizona-gov-elect-katie-hobbs-will-call-abortion-special-session-on-day-one-n668529
