On Tuesday the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office joined nineteen other state attorneys general in an amicus brief supporting a pro-life law in South Carolina.
The amicus brief was filed with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. It supports the State of South Carolina in a federal lawsuit over the state’s pro-life fetal heartbeat law.
South Carolina’s law requires abortionists to perform an ultrasound before an abortion. It prohibits abortion if a fetal heartbeat is detected. The law also contains exceptions for cases of rape, incest, medical emergency, or fetal abnormality.
Planned Parenthood and others challenged South Carolina’s law in court.
In response, the amicus brief that Arkansas and others joined notes that 24 states require an abortionist to offer to display an ultrasound image to the pregnant mother before performing the abortion, and 16 states have enacted laws requiring abortionists to let her hear the unborn baby’s heartbeat.
It’s worth pointing out that earlier this year the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 498 requiring an abortionist to show an ultrasound image of the unborn baby to the pregnant woman before an abortion. The law also requires the abortionist to explain the ultrasound images to the pregnant woman, and it contains exceptions for abortions performed due to medical emergencies.
Research indicates that some women are less likely to have an abortion once they see an ultrasound image of their unborn child — meaning these types of laws can save lives.
All told, 20 states signed the amicus brief supporting South Carolina’s pro-life law, including:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska,
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
You can read the amicus brief here.
