Group Raises $11K+ for Abortion Amendment Effort

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The group backing an abortion amendment in Arkansas raised $11,539 in March, according to reports filed with the state Ethics Commission. The reports show nearly two-thirds of the funding came from the Arkansas Times.

Arkansans For Limited Government is working to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the November ballot — a proposal to write abortion into the state constitution.

The amendment contains no licensing requirements and no health or safety standards for abortion, and it would prevent the Arkansas Legislature from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy,

This would allow thousands of elective abortions in Arkansas every year, and it would pave the way for taxpayer-funded abortion.

Arkansans for Limited Government has until July 5 to collect the 90,704 petition signatures necessary to place the abortion amendment on the ballot. However, pro-life groups are pushing back.

To date, multiple organizations have come out against the amendment, including:

You can download a copy of the abortion amendment here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Subcommittee Advances Measure to Support Women, Address Maternal and Infant Mortality in Arkansas

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On Thursday the Special Language Subcommittee of the Joint Budget Committee at the Arkansas Legislature passed S.B. 64 by Sen. John Payton (R – Wilburn).

This good bill provides $2 million in state funding for pregnancy help organizations that promote maternal health and provide women with options besides abortion.

In 2022 Family Council worked with the legislature and the governor to secure $1 million for pregnancy centers. This funding provided grants to more than 20 pregnancy help organizations.

Last year we worked with lawmakers to renew this funding. This grant money has gone to more than two dozen good organizations across the state that give women and families real assistance when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

S.B. 64 would make improvements to the grant program. It would increase state funding from $1 million per year to $2 million. This would put Arkansas’ funding on parr with other states’.

The bill also clarifies that “pregnancy help organizations” include nonprofit organizations that promote infant and maternal wellness and reduce infant and maternal mortality by:

  • Providing nutritional information and/or nutritional counseling;
  • Providing prenatal vitamins;
  • Providing a list of prenatal medical care options;
  • Providing social, emotional, and/or material support; or
  • Providing referrals for WIC and community-based nutritional services, including but not limited to food banks, food pantries, and food distribution centers.

The measure includes language preventing state funds from going to abortionists and their affiliates.

On Thursday the Joint Budget Committee’s Special Language Subcommittee overwhelmingly approved S.B. 64. We appreciate the committee members choosing to support this good legislation.

You can watch Sen. Payton’s presentation of S.B. 64 and the subcommittee vote on the bill below.

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Arkansas Attorney General Leads 23 State A.G.s Asking Court to Uphold West Virginia Pro-Life Law

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On Monday Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to uphold a West Virginia law prohibiting abortion in most cases.

Family Council joined a separate brief in the case on Monday as well.

The A.G.’s team filed the brief on behalf of the Arkansas Attorney General’s office and 22 other state attorneys general.

After the 2022 Dobbs decision reversed Roe v. Wade, West Virginia strengthened its pro-life laws, but abortion drug manufacturer GenBioPro sued the state. A federal court partially dismissed the lawsuit last August, upholding West Virginia’s pro-life law, but GenBioPro appealed the case to the Fourth Circuit.

In the brief filed Monday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin led his colleagues, arguing, “West Virginia’s generally applicable abortion ban doesn’t conflict with the FDA’s regulation of [the abortion drug] mifepristone. Rather than attack any particular abortion method—or render a differing judgment on the safety and efficacy questions the FDA has addressed— West Virginia’s law says, on entirely distinct moral grounds, that abortions may not be performed altogether.”

This federal court case in West Virginia could affect pro-life laws around the country in the future. With that in mind, it’s good to see Arkansas’ attorney general leading the way in defending pro-life laws in federal court.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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