Bill Filed to Protect Women and Children from Abortion Drugs

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New legislation proposed in Arkansas would clarify that abortion by fraud is a crime.

H.B. 1551 by Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R — Paragould) makes it a felony to secretly give a pregnant woman abortion-inducing drugs without her knowledge or consent.

Right now abortion in Arkansas is generally prohibited except to save the life of the mother, and it is illegal to deliver abortion-inducing drugs into the state. Arkansas also has laws prohibiting fetal homicide. However, Arkansas has no specific law addressing situations in which a person secretly gives abortion drugs like RU-486 to a pregnant woman.

In 2022 a Texas man placed abortion drugs in his pregnant wife’s water in order to cause the death of her unborn child, according to the Associated Press. Since then, states have begun proposing laws like H.B. 1551 to prevent this type of crime.

Abortion-inducing drugs take the life of an unborn child. They also carry significant health risks for women — including risks of sepsis and death. In some cases, abortion drugs actually can be more dangerous for women than surgical abortion procedures.

Our laws should do everything possible to protect women and unborn children from these dangerous drugs. H.B. 1551 is a good bill that will help do exactly that. You Can Read H.B. 1551 Here.

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A.I. Accountability: Lawmakers File Measures Addressing Deepfake Pornography, Child Sexual Abuse Material

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New legislation at the capitol would help address AI-generated pornography in Arkansas.

H.B. 1518 by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) and Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) makes it a crime to create, distribute, possess, or view AI-generated sexual material depicting children.

H.B. 1529 by Rep. Stephen Meeks (R — Greenbrier) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) prohibits people from using artificial intelligence to create and distribute “deepfake” pornographic images depicting another individual without that individual’s consent.

In 2001 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 1496 addressing computer exploitation of a child. The law generally makes it a felony to produce or reproduce child sexual abuse material “by computerized means.”

At the time there was serious discussion about how computers and computer software could be used to manufacture child sexual abuse material. Of course, in 2001 very few people could have imagined today’s artificial intelligence technology, but lawmakers recognized the need to address the issue — and Family Council supported the good law they passed.

Arkansas also has passed laws prohibiting people from distributing pornographic images of another person without the person’s consent, but the law does not address AI-generated images. News outlets have reported how deepfake pornography can be used to harass or intimidate victims. States are working to enact laws protecting innocent people from AI-generated pornography.

Artificial intelligence has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. AI-generated pornography is now a serious concern. State laws must stay ahead of the technology. Measures like H.B. 1518 and H.B. 1529 help do that.

You Can Read H.B. 1518 Here. You Can Read H.B. 1529 Here.

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House Committee Advances Good Bill Addressing Petition Fraud

Legislation,

On Wednesday the Arkansas House State Agencies Committee advanced a good bill strengthening Arkansas’ laws concerning ballot initiative fraud.

The Arkansas Constitution lets people circulate petitions to place measures on the ballot for a vote. However, many people do not understand that petitions are legal documents — and that there are serious laws concerning petition fraud.

S.B. 207 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R — Cave Springs) requires petition canvassers to inform people that petition fraud is a crime before obtaining their signatures on a petition.

Arkansas’ ballot initiative process has become the opposite of what it was intended to be. Instead of giving citizens a way to pass good laws, powerful special interests have used ballot initiative process for their own purposes.

Arkansans have testified in committee alleging that canvassers for the 2024 Arkansas Abortion Amendment violated state law and were paid bonuses for “altercations” with pro-lifers who opposed the abortion amendment.

If the Arkansas Legislature does not enact good laws that bring accountability and transparency to the ballot initiative process, these sorts of problems will simply continue to get worse.

S.B. 207 is a good bill. It now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

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

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