Arizona court to hear case over state’s 1864 abortion ban | First Thing

After months of disarray over the legality of abortion, the state supreme court will decide whether to reinstate zombie' ban. Plus, seven ways to make your holidays a little greener

Good morning.

The Arizona state supreme court will today hear arguments in a case over whether to reinstate an abortion ban that originated in 1864, before Arizona even became a state. The ban blocks people from helping to procure the miscarriage" of a pregnant woman and allows abortions only to save her life. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

What's happening in Texas? The Texas supreme court yesterday overturned a lower court's ruling that would have allowed a pregnant woman to get an emergency abortion under the medical exception for the state's near-total abortion ban, granting a petition by the Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton. The ruling came hours after lawyers for the woman, Kate Cox, said in a court filing that she had left the state to obtain the abortion, but nonetheless wanted to pursue the case.

What else is happening? The UN general assembly is due to vote today on a non-binding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza - a call that the paralysed security council has so far failed to make.