Arkansas House Passes Abortion Clinic Inspection Bill

Yesterday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed H.B. 1428. This good, pro-life bill makes it clear abortion clinics must be inspected at least annually and that the Department of Health will close an abortion clinic that fails inspection.

It also closes a loophole in Arkansas’ informed-consent law regarding abortion.

The bill now goes to the Arkansas Senate for consideration.

Below is a breakdown of the vote.

Voted FOR H.B. 1428 (77 votes)

Ballinger Baltz Barker Beck Bentley Boyd
Bragg Branscum Brown Burch Cavenaugh Coleman
Collins Cozart Dalby Davis Deffenbaugh Della Rosa
D. Douglas Drown Eaves Eubanks Farrer D. Ferguson
C. Fite L. Fite Fortner Gates Gazaway Gonzales
M. Gray Hammer Henderson K. Hendren Hillman G. Hodges
Holcomb Hollowell House Jean Jett Ladyman
Lemons Lowery Lundstrum Lynch Maddox Magie
A. Mayberry McCollum McElroy McNair D. Meeks Miller
Payton Penzo Petty Pilkington Pitsch Richey
Richmond Rushing Rye Shepherd B. Smith Sorvillo
Speaks Sturch Sullivan Tosh Vaught Wardlaw
Warren Watson J. Williams Wing Womack

Voted AGAINST H.B. 1428 (8 votes)

F. Allen Blake V. Flowers Love Murdock Sabin
Walker D. Whitaker

Did Not Vote (15 Representatives)

E. Armstrong Capp Dotson C. Douglas K. Ferguson Fielding
M.J. Gray M. Hodges Johnson Leding G. McGill S. Meeks
Nicks Tucker Mr. Speaker

Bill Filed to Ban “Wrongful Birth” Lawsuits

Yesterday Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson (R-Little Rock) filed S.B. 340 banning “wrongful birth” lawsuits.

In other states parents of children born with Down Syndrome and similar conditions have sued doctors and hospitals, claiming that the child should have been aborted. In some cases, couples have collected millions of dollars in these lawsuits.

Currently, Arkansas has no law regarding “wrongful birth” lawsuits, but state court decisions seem to permit them in certain circumstances.

Human life is sacred. No one should be able to file a lawsuit claiming another person should have been killed.

S.B. 340 is a good, pro-life bill that affirms the sanctity of human life. You can read the bill here.