India, April 10 -- The Arizona Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion which means that doctors performing the procedure could be jailed for five years.

The ruling allows an 1864 law in Arizona to stand that made abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performs one or helps a woman obtain one.

It sent major political shock waves throughout the state, ensuring that the deeply divisive issue of reproductive rights will feature heavily in November when Arizona along with other states will vote for the US presidential poll.

In a statement issued almost immediately after the news broke, US President Joe Biden slammed the cruel ban.

Citing the US Supreme Courts 2022 ruling ...