White House rips Arizona court' s backwards decision on abortion ban

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White House rips Arizona court' s backwards decision on abortion ban

President Biden speaks during a Democratic National Committee event on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images The White House on Saturday ripped an reinstating a near-total ban on abortion that dates to 1864. Driving the news: "The potential consequences of this ruling are catastrophic, dangerous and unacceptable," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. A Pima County judge ruled Friday that the ban, which predates Arizona's statehood, will go into effect. The law stipulates a two- to five-year prison sentence for anyone who helps someone obtain an abortion. A longstanding injunction had blocked its enforcement. Catch up fast: Abortion providers in Arizona after the Supreme Court's ruling overturning the landmark precedent in Roe v. Wade, but many .The court's decision Friday came as a 15-week abortion ban, which state lawmakers recently passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law, was set to take effect on Saturday.Planned Parenthood Arizona argued that more permissive laws that state lawmakers had adopted should go into effect instead of the 1864 ban. The abortion rights group has since alluded to a potential appeal of the ruling. What they’re saying: Jean-Pierre said the court's decision would jeopardize the health and safety of Arizonans. “If this decision stands, health care 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," the statement said.“Make no mistake: 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 Senator Graham’s proposed national abortion ban.”

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