Despite Summer Heat, Pro-Lifers Active Against Arkansas Abortion Amendment

*Above: Pro-lifers in central Arkansas encourage voters not to sign the abortion amendment petition. Photo credit: Facebook.*

Pro-lifers across Arkansas have been extremely active against an effort to write abortion into the state constitution.

Arkansans for Limited Government has until the end of the day Friday to submit 90,704 valid petition signatures to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the ballot.

The measure would prevent the State of Arkansas from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy, allowing thousands of elective abortions every year.

The amendment does not contain any medical licensing or health and safety standards for abortion, and it automatically nullifies all state laws that conflict with the amendment. That jeopardizes even the most basic restrictions on abortion.

The measure contains sweeping exceptions that would permit abortion through all nine months of pregnancy in many cases.

The amendment also would pave the way for publicly funded abortion in Arkansas by changing Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution that currently prohibits taxpayer funded abortion in the state.

Canvassers have been collecting signatures in nearly every county around the state, but pro-lifers have worked against the petition effort as well.

For example, in central Arkansas, pro-lifers prayed with individuals and talked to people about what the abortion amendment would do.

In Logan County, churches have displayed “Decline to Sign” posters in their communities.

In Sevier County, Calhoun County, and elsewhere, volunteers have publicly encouraged voters not to sign the abortion petition.

To date, multiple groups and organizations have come out against the abortion amendment, including: