W House blasts ‘catastrophic’ Arizona abortion ban ruling

WASHINGTON: The White House on Saturday blasted a court ruling in Arizona that imposes a near-complete ban on abortions in the southwestern US state as "catastrophic, dangerous and unacceptable." On Friday, a judge in Arizona’s Pima County had ruled that the stricter ban -- first imposed in 1864, before Arizona was a state -- must be enforced.

"If this decision stands, health care providers would face imprisonment of up to five years for fulfilling their duty of care; survivors of rape and incest would be forced to bear the children of their assaulters; and women with medical conditions would face dire health risks," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The Arizona decision sparked outrage from abortion providers and seemed sure to propel the thorny issue further into debate ahead of nationwide midterm elections in November.

The ruling "has the practical and deplorable result of sending Arizonans back nearly 150 years," Brittany Fonteno.