On Tuesday, Arkansas Senator Jimmy Hickey (R – Texarkana) filed S.B. 102 appropriating $1 million in state grant funding for pregnancy resource centers.
Under Sen. Hickey’s proposal, state-funded grants would be available for crisis pregnancy centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social services agencies that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies. The Department of Finance and Administration would be responsible for structuring and awarding the grants.
S.B. 102 also contains language clarifying that grant funding cannot go to abortion providers.
One way we can help end abortion is by eliminating the demand for abortion.
Pregnancy resource centers and similar organizations give women real options besides abortion. That’s why a growing number of states provide these organizations with state funding.
Many of these centers provide everything from ultrasounds and pregnancy tests to maternity clothes and adoption referrals — typically free of charge. They often operate on very tight budgets and rely heavily on volunteers and donations.
S.B. 102 would help equip these pregnancy resource centers with the tools they need to serve women and families in communities across Arkansas.
