Arizona Republicans Again Block Effort to Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban

House Republicans in Arizona on Wednesday scuttled another effort to repeal the state’s 1864 law banning abortion, defying pressure from prominent Republicans, including former President Donald J. Trump, who had urged them to toss the ban that many voters viewed as extreme and archaic.

“The last thing we should be doing today is rushing a bill through the legislative process to repeal a law that has been enacted and reaffirmed by the Legislature several times,” House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, said as he blocked an effort to vote on the repeal.

The Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling last week to uphold the Civil War-era near-total abortion ban infuriated supporters of abortion rights and exhilarated abortion opponents.

It also set off a political firestorm in Arizona, where Republicans narrowly control both houses of the State Legislature but foresaw a grave political threat.

Repealing the 1864 law — which allows only an exception to save the life of the mother, and says doctors prosecuted under the law could face fines and prison terms of two to five years — would revert Arizona to a 15-week abortion ban.

Republicans initially resisted Democrats’ attempts to repeal the law last week, even as national party leaders said the court had overreached and urged the Legislature to act quickly. The Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, a Trump ally who is facing a competitive race in November, dialed lawmakers herself and asked how she could help with the repeal effort.

On Wednesday, it initially appeared as though their cajoling might pay off. Democrats signaled that they were optimistic of having enough Republican support to secure a majority and send the repeal bill to the State Senate.

But when State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, a Democrat, rose to bring forward her repeal bill, Republicans successfully prevented the vote on procedural grounds.

“The fact that we will not even entertain a motion to allow those who have been raped or pregnant by incest to be able to have an abortion is extremely, extremely disappointing,” State Representative Alma Hernandez, a Democrat, said.

Moments later, the chairman gaveled the House into recess, capping a chaotic morning of maneuvering on the House floor that saw members huddle to dispute rules and shout out objections.

The legislative body has not yet adjourned, and it was not immediately clear whether more votes later in the day were possible.

Jack Healy contributed reporting.