Arkansas Senate Passes Several Good Measures

Abortion, Bioethics, Rights of Conscience, , ,

On Thursday afternoon the Arkansas Senate passed several good measures.

The senators voted to give final approval to S.B. 289 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience. The senate previously approved this bill, but had to vote to concur in amendments that the Arkansas House of Representatives made last week. The bill now goes to Governor Hutchinson.

The Arkansas Senate also passed S.B. 474. This good bill by Sen. Charles Beckham (R – McNeil) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) prohibits fraud and abuse in fertility treatments. The bill ensures people performing fertility treatments are honest, ethical, and abide by principles of informed-consent. The bill passed with overwhelming support with 33 votes.

The senate also passed S.B. 463. This good bill by Sen. Blake Johnson (R – Corning) and Rep. Tony Furman (R – Benton) requires the State of Arkansas to provide abortion data to the federal Centers for Disease Control for statistical purposes. It also tightens Arkansas law concerning abortion facility inspections, and it requires abortionists to file certain documentation when the woman is a victim of rape or incest. Read The Bill Here.

Below is a breakdown of the vote on S.B. 463.

Voted FOR S.B. 463

  • B. Ballinger
  • Beckham
  • Bledsoe
  • A. Clark
  • B. Davis
  • L. Eads
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • T. Garner
  • Gilmore
  • K. Hammer
  • J. Hendren
  • Hester
  • Hickey
  • Hill
  • M. Johnson
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Pitsch
  • Rapert
  • Rice
  • B. Sample
  • G. Stubblefield
  • J. Sturch
  • D. Sullivan
  • Teague
  • D. Wallace

Voted Against S.B. 463

  • L. Chesterfield
  • Elliott
  • S. Flowers
  • K. Ingram
  • G. Leding
  • C. Tucker

Excused From Voting

  • J. Dismang
  • Irvin

Did Not Vote

Caldwell

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Bill Filed to Prohibit Fraudulent Fertility Treatment

Bioethics, Legislation, Legislature,

On Thursday Sen. Charles Beckham (R – McNeil) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) filed S.B. 474.

This good bill prohibits fraud and abuse in fertility treatments.

Right now Arkansas law contains very few provisions to prevent someone from conducting fertility treatments that are fraudulent or abusive.

S.B. 474 changes that by making it a crime for a person or healthcare provider to use unauthorized human reproductive material in a fertility treatment. This prevents reproductive material from another person from being used without appropriate consent.

The bill also makes it a crime for individuals who perform fertility treatments to misrepresent the identity of the person who has donated the reproductive material for the treatment or to misrepresent the quality of the material or the treatment procedure.

This helps address situations in which a person or company who does fertility treatments lies about the donor or secretly uses material or treatment procedures that probably will not work.

S.B. 474 also makes it possible for a person who engages in fraudulent fertility treatments to be sued.

This bill will make much-needed improvements to Arkansas’ laws governing fertility treatments and protect Arkansans from fraudulent or abusive conduct.

Read The Bill Here.

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Bill Filed to Restrict Buying and Selling of Human Eggs in Arkansas

Bioethics,

On Monday Rep. Cindy Crawford (R – Fort Smith) filed H.B. 1441 to address commercial egg harvesting in Arkansas.

This good bill restricts the buying and selling of human eggs.

Currently, Arkansas law contains no specific protections for egg donors.

State law does not prohibit companies from coercing young women to sell their eggs or paying large sums of money to harvest unfertilized human eggs.

State law does not ensure women are informed of the health risks associated with egg harvesting.

H.B. 1441 addresses these problems.

The bill prohibits companies and individuals from paying women for their eggs, but it permits altruistic egg donations.

It prohibits companies and individuals from advertising compensation for human eggs to prospective egg providers.

It requires human eggs to be harvested by a physician in a hospital, clinic, or other medical facility that meets Arkansas Department of Health licensing standards.

Egg harvesting requires hormone treatments that carry serious health risks. H.B. 1441 requires individuals or companies that harvest eggs to give the woman important information regarding the procedure, including a summary of drug or hormone treatments involved.

You can read the bill here.

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