Arizona’s highest court today ruled that an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions “is now enforceable.” With the federal right to abortion now overturned, the justices explained, there was nothing stopping the state from reinstating its long-dormant prohibition.
The court put its ruling on hold for the moment, allowing two weeks for arguments about the ban’s constitutionality. The state would then wait another 45 days before enforcing the restriction. But if the law goes into effect, it will have far-reaching consequences for both abortion access and national politics.
Until now, abortion has been legal in Arizona through 15 weeks of pregnancy. But the 1864 law, which was enacted many decades before Arizona became a state, outlaws abortion from the moment of conception, except when the procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother. It makes no exceptions for rape or incest, and doctors prosecuted under the law could face two to five years in prison.
Abortion rights supporters said the measure would put women’s health in jeopardy. Clinics in Arizona could soon close, forcing women seeking abortions to travel to California, New Mexico or Colorado to end their pregnancies.
The decision also places Arizona, a critical battleground state, at the center of a debate that could help decide November’s presidential election. Democrats condemned the court’s ruling, though they also said it would help galvanize their supporters. Several Arizona Republicans, sensing political peril, also criticized the ruling. The Senate candidate Kari Lake called the law “out of step with Arizonans.”
For more:Here is a map of where abortion is legal, and where it is banned.
The E.P.A. set new limits on chemical plant pollution
For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. today set stricter limits on pollution from chemical plants. As a result, more than 200 plants across the country will be required to curb the toxins they release into the air.
The new rule is aimed at reducing the risk of cancer for people living near industrial sites. It specifically targets ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical devices, and chloroprene, which is used to make rubber in footwear. These chemicals are considered a top health concern in an area of Louisiana so dense with chemical facilities that it is known as Cancer Alley.
Iran smuggles arms into the West Bank, officials say
Iran is using a network of intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to officials from the U.S., Israel and Iran.
The goal, Iranian officials say, is to feed unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with arms. The covert operation is heightening concerns that Iran wants to turn the West Bank into the next flashpoint in the shadow war between Iran and Israel.
The U.S. looks into claims from a Boeing whistle-blower
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating concerns raised by a Boeing engineer who says that sections of the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner are improperly fastened together and could break apart mid-flight after thousands of trips.
The engineer, Sam Salehpour, who worked on the plane, detailed his allegations in interviews with my colleagues. He is set to address a congressional hearing on April 17. In response, Boeing said it was “fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner,” rejecting Salehpour’s concerns.
Art institutions aren’t giving up on downtown L.A.
The pandemic was tough for both downtowns and cultural institutions. Vacancy rates are up, attendance is down and it is unclear whether artistic hubs like Los Angeles will ever return to their former state.
So it was an important vote of confidence in the city’s center when the Broad, the popular art museum, announced a $100 million expansion. Some other institutions are still seeing lagging interest, but leaders of the Broad said they remained confident in their founder’s belief that downtown L.A. was the best place for cultural gatherings.
For your reading list
Heartbreak, family love and methods to cope with poverty are all among the topics tackled by the nominees for this year’s International Booker Prize, the prestigious award for fiction translated into English.
A dinner every golfer wants to pay for
Every spring, the golfer who wins the Masters Tournament gets a green jacket, an elegant trophy, a lifetime course membership and the chance to plan the following year’s champions dinner. This year’s meal is tonight, featuring a menu picked out and paid for by Jon Rahm, the 2023 winner.
Rahm asked a fellow Spaniard, chef José Andrés, to help him develop the menu. The star offering is “Mama Rahm’s classic lentil stew”; if the other golfers don’t like it, Rahm said, they should keep that to themselves.
Have a delicious evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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