A STEP BACK

Judge Says Arizona Can Now Enforce Near-Total Abortion Ban

The ruling means people seeking abortions will have to travel out of state.

For the first time in nearly 50 years, Arizona is now cleared to enforce a near-total ban on abortions. A judge ruled Friday to lift an injunction that had blocked a seemingly ancient law—put in place before Arizona was even a state—that’s now back in effect. Now, clinics across the state are forced to stop providing abortions or risk criminal charges being filed against doctors and other medical workers. The only exception allowed under the law is if a woman’s life is in danger. That means anyone seeking an abortion in Arizona—no matter how early they make the decision, their age, or whether they were raped or not—will have to travel out of state, unless a doctor determines their life is at risk. The Associated Press reports that an appeal to the judge’s decision is likely to come.