PHOENIX – A new measure signed into law Thursday will temporarily allow abortion providers in Arizona to perform the procedure in neighboring California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom passed the law, which takes effect immediately, in response to a recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling that found a near-complete abortion ban dating from 1864 in the state is enforceable.
The bill would also allow patients to receive abortion services from their Arizona health care providers in California through Nov. 30.
“Arizona Republicans tried to turn back the clock to 1864 to impose a near-total abortion ban across their entire state. We refuse to stand by and condone their oppressive and dangerous attacks on women,” Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday.
The fate of Arizona’s 1864 ban, which has no exceptions for rape or incest, remains up in the air. The state Supreme Court has delayed enforcement for several months, meaning Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban will be the law of the land until September 26, the Arizona attorney general’s office said.
The California Legislative Women’s Caucus took the reins in drafting the state legislation. Its chair, Sen. Nancy Skinner, said the new law could provide Arizona women with a safe haven from abortion when the 1864 statute takes effect.
“Our Arizona sisters can come to California to get the health care they need from their own doctors, the ones they know and trust,” Skinner said in a statement. “California has made it crystal clear to anyone who needs or provides essential reproductive care: we have your back.”
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a repeal of the ban on May 2, but the repeal will not take effect until 90 days after the end of the Legislature’s legislative session, which will likely take place in July.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
