White House dispatches Kamala Harris to Arizona: 1864 law banning abortion is set make crucial state the new battleground for reproductive rights... and Democrats are taking advantage

Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to Arizona on Friday just days after the state's Supreme Court ruled a 1864 law banning nearly all abortion could be enforced. 

Harris has been a leading figure in the Biden administration advocating for abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. 

The White House announced she would be traveling to Tucson later this week shortly after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the 160-year-old law banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

The White House said the visit would be to 'continue her leadership in the fight for reproductive freedom.' 

It is her second trip to the battleground state of Arizona this year and her fifth time since being sworn into office. 

'Last month, the Vice President visited Phoenix, AZ to highlight how extremists in states across the country have proposed and enacted abortion bans that threaten women’s health, force them to travel out of state to receive care, and criminalize doctors,' the White House said.

Vice President Harris at the White House on Wednesday. On Friday, Harris will head to Tucson, AZ as part of her continuing 'fight for reproductive freedom'

Harris became the first sitting vice president or president to visit an abortion clinic last month

Harris on April 10 at the White House alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the arrival ceremony for the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida

Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the state can enforce its long-dormant law criminalizing all abortions except when a mother's life is at stake. Pictured: Thousands protest at the Arizona State Capitol after the Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade

The Arizona court's 4-2 decision on Tuesday paved the way for enforcement of one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. 

The civil war era law was written nearly fifty years before Arizona became a state and more than fifty years before women had the right to vote.

It mandates two to five years in prison for anyone aiding an abortion, unless the procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother. 

Harris has been on a 'Fight for Reproductive Freedom' tour across the country that has included stops in Wisconsin, California, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Minnesota.

Last month, she became the first sitting vice president or president to ever visit an abortion clinic with a trip to a Planned Parenthood facility in Minnesota. 

'This even more extreme and dangerous ban criminalizes almost all abortion care in the state and puts women’s lives at risk,' Harris said in a statement following the Arizona decision.

Harris slammed former President Trump for his role in nominating three Supreme Court justices that helped overturn Roe with the Dobbs decision in 2022 which returned the issue of abortion to states.

'Arizona just rolled back the clock to a time before women could vote – and, by his own admission, there’s one person responsible: Donald Trump.'

'The American people believe that health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors, not politicians, and we are ready to stand up to fight for our most fundamental freedoms,' she added.

'This is what leaving it to the states looks like,' wrote Biden campaign rapid response director Ammar Moussa on X following the Arizona ruling. 

The 4-2 decision could influence other states looking to restrict abortion and could have wide-reaching impacts going into the 2024 election. Pictured: Arizona Supreme Court Justices from left; William G. Montgomery, John R Lopez IV, Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer, Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel, Clint Bolick and James Been

On Monday, Trump said his stance on abortion is that it should be left to states.

He made the announcement in a four-and-a-half minute video posted on Truth Social. His remarks signaled a shift away from his previous suggestions he would consider a federal abortion ban.

Trump also said he supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.

The timing of the Arizona court decision one day after his announcement could put the ex-president back on defense on the issue after he dragged his feet for months to even state where he stands. 

Abortion has proven to be a motivating issue that helped Democrats in midterms and a series of special elections since the Dobbs decision ended the federal right to abortion.

Some Republicans in tough races have struggled to articulate a stance on the issue which could hurt them politically. Others have walked back past remarks.

Donald Trump released a video on Monday in which he praised the overturning of Roe v Wade and said he believes the issue of abortion should be left to states to decide.

Arizona passed a 15 week abortion ban in 2022, but the state Supreme Court upheld the Arizona 1864 abortion law which bans nearly all abortion without exception for rape or incest. It could be several weeks before the new decision goes into effect

Several Arizona Republicans came out against the state Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday.

GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake said she has traveled the country and 'it is abundantly clear that the pre-statehood law is out of step with Arizonians.'

'I oppose today's ruling and I am calling o Katie Hobbs and the State Legislature to come up with an immediate common sense solution that Arizonans can support. Ultimately, Arizona voters will make the decision on the ballot come November,' Lake said in a statement.

Back in 2022 before Roe fell, Lake as a candidate for governor said Arizona has 'a great law on the books' should Roe fall. On Monday, Lake backed Trump's stance on abortion as a state issue.

 Republican Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who supports the state's 15 week abortion ban, called Tuesday's ruling a 'disaster for women and providers.'

'The territorial law is archaic. We must do better for women and I call on our state policymakers to immediately address this in a bipartisan manner,' he said.

But other Republicans in the state support the move. Ahead of the decision, Phoenix based political strategist Tony Cani posted video of lawmakers praying on the floor of the chamber. 

 'It’s footage of GOP Sen Anthony Kern & his prayer team of anti-abortion extremists praying in tongues (that’s not an audio issue) that an 1864 law banning nearly all abortion becomes law again,' he wrote in a post on X.

An effort to get abortion access directly on the ballot in Arizona the form of a constitutional amendment has been well underway.

Last week, a coalition of advocates announced they had already gathered more than 500,000 petition signatures. The threshold to put a measure on the ballot is 383,923 and the deadline is is still three months away on July 3.

Arizona for Abortion Access said the amendment appears on track to go before voters this fall.