phoenix – Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on Friday signed a comprehensive executive order to protect those involved in legally obtained abortions from prosecution.

The order prohibits district attorneys from filing abortion-related charges without a court order and prohibits state agencies from aiding criminal investigations. In addition, Arizona does not accept extradition requests for persons wanted for the purpose of assisting, providing, or seeking an abortion.

Only Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays, a Democrat, can oversee abortion-related prosecutions.

“We will not allow extreme and deviant politicians to interfere with the fundamental right that Arizona people have to make decisions about their bodies and futures,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “I will continue to fight to expand access to safe and legal abortion in any way I can.”

Under the order, Hobbes will also set up a special council to make recommendations on how to expand access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Abortion is now legal in Arizona. first 15 weeks of pregnancy Under the law of 2022. Last year, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that abortion doctors cannot be prosecuted under a law dating back to 1864 that criminalizes nearly all abortions. This pre-state law has already been out of action for decades because of Roe v. Wade.

Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of Family Planning Arizona, called Hobbs’s move “a promising and welcome path.”

“This executive order will help alleviate the fear and anxiety that swept across Arizona in the year since Roe’s ruling was overturned, and help protect all those seeking and providing needed medical care,” Fonteno said. would,’ he said.

Kathy Herrod, chairman of the socially conservative Arizona Policy Center, denounced the governor’s excesses.

“Governor Hobbes’s zeal for abortion exceeds his authority as governor,” Herod said in a statement. “The law does not allow her to deprive the county attorney of the distinct enforcement powers granted to her by various laws in Arizona.”

Here is what Hobbes does: First Anniversary About the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.

Hobbes has focused on reproductive freedom in recent days. On Thursday, she voiced her support for a state law codifying access to contraception. Democrats are expected to introduce it in January. But the bill is difficult to pass in state legislatures, which are dominated by Republicans.