Arizona Republicans denounce revived 1864 abortion ban in sudden reversal

As the party struggles to talk about abortion, response marks fastest and strongest rebuke of bans since the fall of Roe

Hours after Arizona's supreme court declared on Tuesday that a 160-year-old abortion ban is now enforceable, Republicans in the state took a surprising stance for a party that has historically championed abortion restrictions - they denounced the decision.

This decision cannot stand," said Matt Gress, a Republican state representative. I categorically reject rolling back the clock to a time when slavery was still legal and we could lock up women and doctors because of an abortion."