Kari Lake lobbies to repeal abortion ban she previously endorsed
MSNBCApr 12
Report: Lake Lobbying for Repeal of AZ 1864 Abortion Law
The Facts
Kari Lake, who's running for US Senate in Arizona after losing her race for the governorship in 2020, has emerged as a prominent Republican opponent of Tuesday's state Supreme Court ruling that permitted enforcement of an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions.
The 1864 law bans abortion from conception with no exceptions for rape or incest. The only exception is in the case of the mother's life being in danger.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Lake, who has denied election results and promoted conspiracy theories, can not be trusted for a good-faith position on this issue. She lost her governor's race by a slim margin and is desperate to seem moderate enough to gain a few votes in her Senate race. But what she should be saying isn't that the 1864 law should be repealed, but explaining why her stance has changed since her 2022 interview. She owes the voters at least that much.
Republican narrative
It's easy to see where Lake's position on abortion has shifted for the better and in line with much of the American electorate. Obviously, there must be more exceptions than the 1864 law provides. By overturning Roe v. Wade, SCOTUS rightly turned responsibility for abortion restrictions to the states. But the states should determine their abortion laws with the will of the people in mind.
Nerd narrative
There's a 3% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the US before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.