Arizona legislator talks about lead-up to abortion ban repeal
State Supreme Court was galvanizing factor, but journey to landmark victory began before Dobbs decision
(Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton)
I wrote about the victory in Arizona last week when its legislature repealed a civil-war-era ban that restricted abortions in nearly all situations. Yesterday, I spoke with Arizona Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton to get the backstory of how they achieved the feat.
“Behind the scenes, we knew that the votes would probably be there,” Hamilton said. “It just was a matter of time.”
Throughout six legislative sessions, the senators and representatives in Arizona’s government had been deliberating a repeal, a journey that began in 2019. Rep. Athena Salman, who championed the cause until her resignation in 2024, spearheaded the effort. At her departure, she entrusted the responsibility of continuing the fight to Hamilton, who took up the mantle and carried the torch forward.
The repeal was one of Gov. Katie Hobbs's primary objectives for this session. Hamilton dropped three pieces of legislation about it in the hopper, one of the first processes in getting a bill passed.
The legislative process in Arizona is a multi-step journey for a bill to become law. It begins with developing the bill's language and lawmakers securing sponsors. The bill is then placed in the hopper, and a unique bill number is assigned. It undergoes a first read on the floor, followed by a second read on a consecutive day. The bill then proceeds to a committee for in-depth study and discussion.
Once it gets heard, then it goes to the rules committee, after which it goes to each caucus in the legislature. Then, it goes to the committee, and it’s debated on the floor. Along the process, the bill could be amended. It receives a third read. After that, it then goes to the Senate, where the process repeats itself. It comes back to the house for a final read. Once the Senate’s changes are accepted, they go to the governor’s desk for signature or veto.
“Any point in that process can get interrupted,” Hamilton said. “So anything that absolutely lands on the governor's desk and then gets a signature is nothing short of a pretty incredible feat, to be quite honest.”
The state supreme court’s decision to uphold the ban was a galvanizing factor. The decision in Alabama to establish embryonic personhood also motivated the members of the Arizona legislature.
“A lot of this stuff has been brewing and churning,” Hamilton said.
They knew they would get and needed support from the Republicans in the legislature, too.
“It's just a matter of figuring out who's going to fall on the sword for the Republicans and who is going to end up having to take the heat from their party,” Hamilton said. But the politics of it all is that there were some districts where my Republican colleagues needed to vote yes on that repeal, no matter what they needed to vote.”
Hamilton has advice for legislators in other states.
“Please don't give up; please fight these. It is possible,” Hamilton said. “And when you start talking to people, everyday people with boots on the ground, these extreme measures are not what most people in the United States want.”