By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) – Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on Friday issued an order to protect abortion rights, using her executive power to limit the effects of an abortion restriction law signed by her Republican predecessor.
Hobbs said on Twitter that she had ordered all abortion trials to be centralized under the office of Attorney General Christine Mays, also a Democrat and abortion rights advocate, and stripped that authority from county attorneys general, many of whom are Republicans.
The measure is sure to generate opposition from local attorneys whose decision-making will be curtailed, and the Republican House speaker told the Arizona Republic that the legislative staff is reviewing the matter to determine its legality.
The governor also directed state agencies to refuse to assist in any out-of-state investigation regarding abortion services that would be legal in Arizona; denying extradition requests from other countries seeking to prosecute people for abortions; and creating an advisory board on how to expand access in Arizona.
The executive orders were issued on the eve of the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling repealing the right to abortion.
Dobbs’ decision of June 24, 2022, overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling of 1972 that had largely protected abortion rights in the United States.
This triggered existing laws in some states that would impose restrictions should Roe be lifted, and pushed other Republican-led states to pass new abortion limits.
In March 2022, in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Republican governor of Arizona at the time, Doug Ducey, signed into law a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The measure made exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape.
Ducey was legally barred from seeking a third term in November, when Hobbs defeated the Republican nominee, Carrie Lake.
Ben Toma, the Republican Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, questioned Hobbes’ authority to take over all abortion-related trials.
“At a minimum, this order shows disrespect and contempt for the judiciary,” Toma told the Arizona Republic. “The governor cannot unilaterally transfer the legal authority to prosecute criminal cases from the 15 district attorneys in Arizona to the attorney general.”
