Legislation Filed to Protect Religious Liberty in Arkansas

Legislation,

Legislation filed at the capitol on Thursday would help further protect the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that faith-based adoption and foster care providers, religious organizations, and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

The bill also provides legal protections for professionals, students, and state employees who act according to their religious convictions.

In 2015 Gov. Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law to safeguard the free exercise of religion in Arkansas. In 2023 lawmakers passed additional legislation to further strengthen this good law.

Time and again, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have come under fire, because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

Our laws must protect religious liberty as much as possible. H.B. 1615 improves on good state laws to help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

If enacted, H.B. 1615 would provide Arkansans with some of the best religious freedom protections in the nation. That would be something to celebrate.

You can read H.B. 1615 here.

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

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New Legislation Would Bring Clarity to Arkansas’ Abortion Laws

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A bill filed at the Arkansas Legislature on Wednesday aims to clarify state law concerning abortion.

In 2019, Arkansas passed Act 180 prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade, the state began enforcing Act 180. Today, abortion in Arkansas is prohibited except when the mother’s life is at risk in a medical emergency.

H.B. 1610 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Jimmy Hickey (R — Texarkana) would clarify the definition of “medical emergency” in cases where the mother’s life is at risk. The bill would also strengthen legal protections for doctors who treat pregnant women, and would make it clear that abortion remains illegal in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother.

H.B. 1610 would help clarify that “medical emergency” refers to situations where the woman’s life is in danger from a physical disorder, illness, or injury​.

The bill says that psychological or emotional conditions cannot be used to justify abortion. This would help prevent an abortionist or a judge from trying to broaden Arkansas’ exceptions for abortion.

H.B. 1610 outlines how doctors decide if an abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life.

Under H.B. 1610, physicians would use “reasonable medical judgment” to determine whether abortion is necessary. This is the same medical and legal standard used to make other important medical decisions.

The bill also says that a child should not be aborted when there are other ways besides abortion to save the life of the mother.

And H.B. 1610 makes it clear that a doctor does not violate the law if an unborn child accidentally or unintentionally dies because of legitimate medical treatment the doctor provided to the mother.

All of this would help close possible loopholes in Arkansas’ abortion law.

Arkansas has been named the most pro-life state in America, and lawmakers have enacted dozens of good measures protecting women and unborn children from abortion — including laws that generally prohibit abortion except to save the life of the mother.

H.B. 1610 is a good bill that would bring better clarity to Arkansas’ abortion laws and make it easier for the state to continue protecting innocent human life.

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

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High Risk: Another Study Finds Marijuana Use During Pregnancy Harms Newborns

Marijuana

Yet another study has found a possible link between marijuana use during pregnancy and lower birthweight.

Decreased birthweight is associated with health problems and developmental delays in children.

Researchers from Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University surveyed pregnant women at 23 clinics across Michigan between 2017 and 2022. The study found 15% of women surveyed indicated they used marijuana during pregnancy.

Time and again, science has shown a link between marijuana use during pregnancy and harm to unborn and newborn children.

In 2021, researchers in California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if the mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics showed children and adolescents face an increased risk of mental disorder if their mothers used marijuana during pregnancy.

Researchers found marijuana use during pregnancy was associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that last as children enter early adolescence and may put children at an increased risk of mental disorders and substance use as they grow older.

A 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers In Pediatrics found marijuana use during pregnancy could decrease a newborn’s birthweight by approximately one-third of a pound.

The study also found newborns exposed to marijuana in utero suffered from smaller head circumference — which could indicate inadequate brain development during pregnancy.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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

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