PHOENIX (AP) — Twelve of 15 Arizona county attorneys are calling on Governor Katie Hobbs to reverse a recent executive order restricting prosecution in abortion-related cases.

“The governor’s office should not interfere with the discretionary powers of prosecutors to perform their duties as elected officials,” the attorney’s letter sent to Hobbes late Monday said. “Whether or not this was the intended purpose, the result is a needless and unjustifiable violation of the duties and obligations of the Arizona county attorney.”

Governor’s spokesman Christian Slater said the governor has no intention of canceling the order.

“Governor Hobbs will never stop fighting for reproductive freedom in Arizona,” Slater said in a statement. “She will continue to exercise her lawful enforcement powers, keep chaos in check, and protect ordinary people in Arizona from extremists who threaten to prosecute women and doctors over reproductive medicine.”

Hobbes’ order, signed on June 22, authorizes Attorney General Chris Mays to handle attempted county prosecutions under the state’s abortion laws, and allows state officials to investigate alleged violations in other states. and prohibits the extradition of persons accused of abortion violations in other states. law.

“This executive order constitutes an exercise in powers that do not belong to the governor’s office. To suggest that the governor may strip local elected officials of prosecutorial discretion is grossly excessive.” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell wrote in a letter to Mr. Hobbes.

Mitchell is a Republican, and Hobbes and Mays are Democrats.

Arizona now allows abortions up to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy under a 2022 law. 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.