Katie Hobbs signed a new Executive Order Friday that will delegate abortion-related prosecution to Attorney General Kris Mayes, who previously vowed not to enforce any current Arizona abortion laws if she is elected.
It will also restrict state agencies from assisting in other state investigations, ban extraditions of doctors wanted in other states, and establish a council to expand access to abortion.
This will essentially render Arizona’s current abortion law null and void. Kris Mayes has said she would not enforce Arizona’s abortion laws.
The Gateway Pundit reported in September 2022 that a Judge ruled that Arizona can enforce its ban on abortion following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade. This law made abortion legal if the mother’s life was at risk. Doctors who perform abortions on a healthy woman would be “punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two years nor more than five years” under the pre-Roe law. However, The Arizona Court of Appeals later overturned this ruling and ruled that Arizona could impose a more recent law banning abortion after 15 weeks.
Katie Hobbs and Kris Mayes are pro-abortion, pro-infanticide radicals.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Hobbs vetoed Senator Janae Shamp’s SB1600, which would require doctors to care for an infant that is born alive and entitle them to be treated as a legal person under Arizona law.
As a legislator, Hobbs voted against similar legislation requiring doctors to maintain a baby’s life if they survive an abortion. Further, she voted against abortion limitations every chance she was given as a State Legislator.
Before stealing the election for Governor, Hobbs refused to say whether or not she supported radical abortion policies like “no limits” on abortion in a CNN interview. This is why she did not debate Kari Lake. She could not let the voters see her real agenda.
Kari Lake repeatedly told voters that Hobbs “supports abortion right up until birth and after birth. She supports that if a baby survives a botched abortion that the baby dies on a cold metal tray,” and she was right.
Hobbs delivered the following press release this morning:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2023
CONTACT:
press@az.gov
Governor Katie Hobbs Signs Executive Order Protecting Reproductive Freedom in Arizona
Phoenix, AZ – Nearly one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped away rights from millions of Arizonans, Governor Katie Hobbs signed an Executive Order protecting reproductive freedom and bolstering Arizonans’ right to make decisions about their own bodies without interference from politicians.
“I made a promise to Arizonans that I would do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedom, and this Executive Order reflects that promise,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “I will not allow extreme and out of touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental right Arizonans have to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. I will continue to fight to expand access to safe and legal abortion in any way that I can.”
A key component of the Executive Order from Governor Hobbs centralizes authority over abortion-related prosecutions in the Attorney General’s office, ensuring differences in interpretation or application of the law by different county attorneys do not chill, deter, or restrict access to lawful abortion care.
“In the year since the Dobbs decision, we have seen that anti-abortion extremists will stop at nothing in their attempts to impose their radical beliefs on the rest of the country,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes. “Governor Hobbs’ Executive Order provides important protections in Arizona on this issue — and it underscores our shared commitment to proactively defend the fundamental rights of individuals and ensure access to reproductive healthcare in Arizona. Together, we will continue to do what the voters of Arizona elected us to do — fight like hell to protect the rights of Arizonans to make their own private medical decisions without interference from extremist politicians and anti-choice groups.”
“Every Arizonan should have access to basic reproductive freedoms, no matter their county,” said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover. “As the Pima County Attorney, I’ve proudly defended access to abortions, and so have other elected leaders in my county. That is sadly not the case in all other counties. We are in a key historical moment and I applaud the Governor’s intention to ensure equal protection and access to critical health services across the State.”
A summary of the provisions of the Executive Order are below:
Centralizing Authority over Abortion-Related Prosecutions: Governor Hobbs is using her executive authority to direct Attorney General Kris Mayes to assume all duties over abortion-related prosecutions.
Restrictions on Investigative Assistance: Governor Hobbs is using her authority to direct state agencies not to assist in any investigations relating to providing, assisting, seeking, or obtaining reproductive healthcare that would not be punishable under Arizona law unless required by a court order or Arizona or federal law.
Restrictions on Extraditions: Governor Hobbs is using her executive discretion to decline extradition requests from other states seeking to prosecute individuals who provide, assist with, seek, or receive abortion services that wouldn’t otherwise be punishable under Arizona law.
Advisory Council on Protecting Reproductive Freedom: Governor Hobbs establishes a Council to make recommendations that expand access to sexual and reproductive healthcare in Arizona.
You can read the full Executive Order HERE.
The post Katie Hobbs Signs Executive Order Restricting Arizona Abortion Prosecutions, Banning Investigation and Extradition of Doctors Wanted in Other States – Establishes a Council to Expand Access to Abortion appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
