Report: Lake Lobbying for Repeal of AZ 1864 Abortion Law

Image copyright: Kent Nishimura/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Kari Lake, who's running for US Senate in Arizona after losing her race for the governorship in 2020, has emerged as a prominent Republican opponent of Tuesday's state Supreme Court ruling that permitted enforcement of an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions.

  • The 1864 law bans abortion from conception with no exceptions for rape or incest. The only exception is in the case of the mother's life being in danger.


The Spin

Democratic narrative

Lake, who has denied election results and promoted conspiracy theories, can not be trusted for a good-faith position on this issue. She lost her governor's race by a slim margin and is desperate to seem moderate enough to gain a few votes in her Senate race. But what she should be saying isn't that the 1864 law should be repealed, but explaining why her stance has changed since her 2022 interview. She owes the voters at least that much.

Republican narrative

It's easy to see where Lake's position on abortion has shifted for the better and in line with much of the American electorate. Obviously, there must be more exceptions than the 1864 law provides. By overturning Roe v. Wade, SCOTUS rightly turned responsibility for abortion restrictions to the states. But the states should determine their abortion laws with the will of the people in mind.


Metaculus Prediction


Go Deeper


Articles on this story