Arizona supreme court upholds near-total abortion ban | First Thing

Ruling opens door for law from 1864 that went unenforced after Roe v Wade. Plus: who is worthy' of a Hermes Birkin bag?

Good morning.

The Arizona supreme court ruled on Tuesday to allow a law banning almost all abortions to go into effect. The law was passed in 1864, before Arizona became a state, but went unenforced for decades after the US supreme court legalized abortion nationwide in its 1973 decision in Roe v Wade.

What does this ruling mean nationally? The decision could curtail abortion access in the US south-west and make Arizona one of the biggest battlefields in the 2024 electoral fight over abortion rights.

What have abortion rights advocates been doing to counteract this ruling? Supporters of reproductive rights in Arizona are gathering signatures for a ballot measure to enshrine those rights into the state constitution. The rules require 383,923 signatures by July for a measure to get on the ballot; organizers said they have more than 500,000.

How have Arizona conservatives reacted to the ruling? With a surprising stance for a party that has historically championed abortion restrictions - denouncing the decision after some had initially supported it.