Kari Lake’s own words come back to haunt her following shock Arizona ruling

MAGA extremist, election denier and Senatorial candidate Kari Lake has been trying to rewrite history following yesterday’s surprise Arizona Supreme Court ruling on abortion.

The state supreme court upheld a draconian 1864 law that bans all abortion in the state. Anyone found guilty of obtaining or aiding someone to obtain an abortion faces 2-5 years in jail. The only exception is if a termination is necessary to save the pregnant person’s life.

Democrats widely condemned the 4-2 ruling. It has also left a number of Republicans unhappy. Many in the GOP know that total abortion bans boost support for Democrats when it comes to elections.

Lake herself has previously said she is against abortion. She has expressed the belief Arizona would ban abortion if the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade (as it did in 2022).

So, she should be happy with the ruling, right?

It seems not.

Changing her tune

Lake is facing a tough battle in her bid to become Senator against Democrat Ruben Gallego. Most polls have him slightly ahead of her. The Arizona Supreme Court’s decision looks highly likely to cement that advantage.

A petition demanding the issue of abortion be added to the ballot this November has already gained over 500,000 signatures. That’s 120,000 more than needed to ensure it goes to the electorate this November.

Adding it to the ballot will also spur people to come out to vote in November. Many are likely to support Gallego.

Lake’s reaction to yesterday’s ruling was to issue a press release distancing herself from it. She said, “It is abundantly clear that the pre-statehood law is out of step with Arizonans … I oppose today’s ruling, and I am calling on [Democratic Gov.] Katie Hobbs and the state Legislature to come up with an immediate commonsense solution that Arizonans can support.”

My statement regarding today’s Arizona Supreme Court Abortion Ruling pic.twitter.com/bNAjXd80TN— Kari Lake (@KariLake) April 9, 2024

Almost immediately, the internet came back with receipts. When Lake ran for Governor in 2022, she answered questions about her views on abortion. At the time, Arizona had recently passed a 15-week abortion ban. Lake was asked both about that legislation and the earlier, 1864, law, should SCOTUS overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“We have a great law on the books right now. If that happens, we will be a state where we will not be taking the lives of our unborn anymore,” Lake said.

Lake’s opponent, Gallego, was among those to reshare the clip following her statement yesterday.

I won’t let Kari Lake distort the record.

She called this law a “great law” – even though it will ban nearly all abortions, including in cases of rape or incest. pic.twitter.com/lXmtShrtSG— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) April 9, 2024

“The right thing”

Lake wants to squirm out of it. She re-tweeted a tweet from someone claiming she was talking about the 15-week ban, not the 1864 law.

Hmmm. Here’s the actual footage. What do you make of it?

Footage from AZ 2022 Debate

Lake: My personal belief is that all life matters… I don’t believe in abortion. I think the older law is going to go into effect…

Host: You approve of that? At what conception?

Lake: I believe that life begins at conception pic.twitter.com/XMw3VGvyoV— Acyn (@Acyn) April 9, 2024

Below is another interview Lake gave in 2022. She said that if SCOTUS overturned Roe vs. Wade, “We have great legislation already on the books” that will “click in” and “we will see older legislation that’s already been passed and Arizona will not be a state where abortions are happening.“

She also said politicians must do “the moral thing” and remain unswayed by opinion polls.

In June 2022, Kari Lake praised the 1864 anti-abortion law as “great legislation already on the books” and said politicians should do the right thing despite polling and protests.

Lake: “Arizona will not be a state where abortions are happening.“ pic.twitter.com/usYACHCPUL— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) April 10, 2024

Governor Hobbs reacts to Arizona ruling

Democrat Katie Hobbs beat Lake in the 2002 gubernatorial election. Governor Hobbs told Anderson Cooper last night the Arizona court’s ruling was “very harmful” and had left many in the state “reeling”.

Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) agreed. She issued a statement saying, “The decision made by the Arizona Supreme Court today is unconscionable and an affront to freedom.

“Make no mistake, by effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago, the Court has risked the health and lives of Arizonans.”

Ruben Gallego said in a statement, “Today’s ruling is devastating for Arizona women and their families. This is not what Arizonans want, and women could die because of it.

“Our fight against extremist bans like the one enacted today has never been more important — which is why I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to protect abortion rights at the federal level.”