CHC Chair Barragán Statement on Arizona Supreme Court Decision to Uphold 19th Century Near-Total Abortion Ban

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44) issued the following statement in response to the Arizona Supreme Court decision to uphold a civil war-era near-total abortion ban.

"The decision by the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold the 1864 near-total abortion ban is yet another draconian affront to women's rights. Despite the fact that 70% of Americans believe abortion should be legal, extreme MAGA Republicans and conservative courts remain determined to strip women of their reproductive rights and criminalize abortion nationwide. Today, women across Arizona – including the more than 1 million Latinas in the state – have essentially been told their reproductive rights are second to partisan gamesmanship. 

This archaic law even predates Arizona's statehood by nearly 50 years, a time when women couldn’t vote. It will forbid nearly all abortions and punish medical professionals with prison time for administering this critical and deeply personal medical procedure.

Politicians, many of whom lack intimate knowledge of the significant importance abortion carries in medicine, seek to be the ones who decide when a woman can receive reproductive health care, rather than leaving these decisions to certified medical professionals and their patients.

Access to abortion is a human right that must be protected at all costs. CHC Members will continue to advocate for the passage of the Women's Health Protection Act, which would create federal protection for abortion rights, overturn Dobbs v. Jackson, and ensure women's health is not undermined by politicians.”

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