Abortion, of course, has been a hot political topic since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This spring, the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated an 1864 near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. In summer, state lawmakers finally repealed it. Next month, voters will decide the fate of Proposition 139, which would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
But as abortion has dominated the election-year headlines, Lake can’t seem to figure out where she stands. At times, Lake falls back on vitriolic and extreme language about abortion. At others, she endorses more moderate positions. Even conservatives have had trouble nailing down what she believes.
In a campaign ad released Sept. 20, Lake addressed the issue again. “The lies about my stance on abortion are outrageous,” she said, going on to pledge that she “will not support a federal ban on abortion.”
Lake did not specify what those lies were and did not return a text requesting comment. But look no further for the facts.
Here’s a comprehensive timeline of the Republican candidate’s ever-shifting reproductive rights beliefs.
June 2021: It begins
Lake launches her campaign for governor.
September 2021: Endorses six-week ban
Lake vows to sign into law legislation similar to Texas’ heartbeat bill that banned abortions after six weeks, when many women still don’t even know they are pregnant. At the time, the Texas bill was viewed as the most extreme abortion law in the country.
January 2022: Consistent so far
While running for governor, Lake tweets, “ALL Baby Lives Matter — every single heartbeat is a gift from God & we will never stop fighting to protect life. We must make Arizona a Sanctuary State for the unborn.”
May 2022: Up to the states
While Lake calls abortion “the ultimate sin” in a KTAR interview, she says individual states “should decide how they handle this.”
June 24, 2022: ‘Thrilled’ about 1864 ban
During an interview on KFYI the day the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade, Lake says she was “thrilled” about the decision because Arizona’s “great” 1864 near-total ban would take effect:
“I’m incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that’s already on the books, I believe it’s ARS 13-3603. So it will prohibit abortion in Arizona except to save the life of a mother. And I think we’re going to be paving the way and setting course for other states to follow.”
When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Kari Lake said she was "thrilled" that an 1864 Arizona law that banned abortions in nearly all circumstances would take effect.
TJ L'Heureux
June 29, 2022: Ban abortion pills
Lake reiterates her support for the 1864 ban during the Republican gubernatorial debate:
“My personal belief is that all life matters. All life counts, and all life is precious, and I don’t believe in abortion. I think the older law is going to take and is going to go into effect. That’s what I believe will happen.”
Lake also says she wanted to ban abortion pills.
October 2022: ‘Rare and legal’
During an interview on KTAR’s Mike Broomhead Show, Lake says that abortion should be “rare and legal.” Soon afterward, Lake spokesperson Ross Trumble walks back that statement, saying that Lake did not want changes to Arizona’s 1864 abortion law, which weeks earlier a judge ruled prosecutors could enforce.
November 2022: Defeat
Lake loses the governor’s race to Katie Hobbs in November 2022 by more than 17,000 votes but never concedes and claims she’s the real winner. Lake’s sometimes-extreme stances on abortion likely play a role in her loss.
October 2023: Helping women
As Lake launches her bid for a U.S. Senate seat, she suggests giving more government assistance to women so they don’t feel financial pressure to have an abortion:
“We gotta get our priorities straight. If we’re gonna be for saving babies’ lives, we gotta be for helping women.”
November 2023: ‘I haven’t changed’
Asked to explain the evolution of her stance on abortion by an ABC 15 reporter, Lake insists, “I haven’t changed, actually.”
February 2024: You tell her
As the Arizona Supreme Court mulls whether the 1864 ban takes precedence over a newer 15-week ban passed in 2022 — and while petition circulators gather signatures to put a measure guaranteeing abortion access on the ballot — Lake declines to take a position entirely in a KTAR interview:
“I support what the people of Arizona support.”
April 9, 2024: 1864 ban bad
Lake publicly denounces the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate an 1864 law banning abortion in almost all cases, including rape and incest:
“It is abundantly clear that the pre-statehood law is out of step with Arizonans.”
In a tweeted statement, Lake states her opposition to a federal abortion ban and federal abortion funding. She says she’ll fight for making parenthood and adoption more affordable and protecting in-vitro fertilization.
When the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a near-total abortion ban passed in 1864, Kari Lake changed her tune and said it was "out of step with Arizonans."
Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
April 13, 2024: Call the sheriff
Speaking at an event hosted by the Mohave County Republican Party, Lake laments that county sheriffs aren't enforcing the 1864 ban that's supposedly out of step with Arizonans:
"The only people who can enforce that law are our sheriffs. And we need to start asking the sheriffs if they’re willing to enforce that. I don’t think they are.”
At the same event, Lake says, "We need to have exceptions for rape and incest. It’s very reasonable to ask for that."
April 21, 2024: 1864 ban good
In an interview with an outlet in Idaho, Lake says the 1864 ban is “unfortunately” not being enforced.
“We don’t have that law, as much as many of us wish we did.”
Additionally, at some point during April, Lake’s campaign also removes the term “pro-life” from her website, according to Newsweek.
April 25, 2024: Lies and exceptions
Lake is confronted by a young conservative woman during a campaign event at Arizona State University and asked to clarify her abortion stance.
In response, Lake baselessly claims Arizona would be “the most extreme state when it comes to abortion” if the proposed abortion rights ballot measure passes — in fact, 14 other states have similar laws — and falsely claims the ballot measure would allow people, “right up until the birth of the baby, to take that baby’s life.”
Then Lake says abortion laws — unlike the 1864 law she previously lamented was not being enforced — need exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother:
“I know not everybody in the pro-life community believes that, and somehow when you say that, all of a sudden pro-lifers — they don’t like you anymore. We gotta get that straightened out.”
May 2024: Debate me
Lake criticizes the media for asking her about abortion so much while also challenging Gallego to a debate on the subject:
“We owe it to the people of this state not just to state our policy but to defend our policies, and I'm willing to do that.”
Gallego declines, with a spokesperson saying Lake's abortion stance is "clear" and that “there’s nothing to debate.”
September 2024: No federal ban
Echoing the stance of former President Donald Trump, Lake releases a campaign ad reiterating her opposition to a federal abortion ban:
“This is a decision that’s been handed back to the states, and I trust you to decide what the law is.”
