A single law Arkansas passed in 2015 saved the lives of an estimated 508 unborn children last year.
Here’s how we know that.
In 2001 Family Council worked with former state Rep. Jim Magnus (R – Little Rock) to pass the Woman’s Right to Know Act.
At the time, the bill was a major step forward, because it required abortionists to offer women vital information before performing an abortion.
In 2015 we worked with Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R – Springdale) to pass a new and improved informed-consent law.
This new law requires abortionists to give women all the facts about abortion up front — including information about abortion’s risks, consequences, and alternatives.
Arkansas’ informed-consent law also requires doctors to give women 72 hours to weigh their options before having an abortion, thanks to improvements the legislature made to the law in 2019.
Last year, 3,471 women were given information about abortion under the state’s informed consent law, according to reports from the Arkansas Department of Health.
That means that as many as 3,471 women inquired about abortion in Arkansas last year.
However, there were only 2,963 abortions in the state.
Comparing those two numbers, we estimate that 508 women chose not to have abortions after receiving the information required by the state’s informed-consent law.
All told, we estimate the 2015 Woman’s Right to Know law has saved the lives of 1,759 unborn children.
That’s simply amazing!
Laws like this one are part of the reason that abortion in Arkansas has plummeted to a 43-year low.
