FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012
Family Council President Jerry Cox issued a statement Thursday in response to Americans United for Life ranking Arkansas the fifth most pro-life state in America.
“This is a ranking Arkansas can be proud of,” Cox said. “It seems like we’re always in the middle of the pack, if not near the bottom, when it comes to a lot of national averages. Here’s a ranking we can hold our heads high about.”
Cox pointed out that the ranking is about a lot more than just abortion. “AUL looks at state laws and policies dealing with every aspect of promoting life. That includes abortion, but it also runs the gamut of medical issues like end of life care, physician-assisted suicide, and rights of conscience in the health care field. In other words, they look at everything dealing with human life. And after doing that, they determined Arkansas was in the top five.”
Cox said he hopes in the future Arkansas can be number-one. “Two states bordering us ranked higher than we did,” Cox said. “Our neighbors in Louisiana hold the top spot on the list right now, and Oklahoma came in right behind them in second place. That clearly means they’re doing something right. I think most Arkansans would agree legislation and government policies that are good enough for Louisiana and Oklahoma are good enough for Arkansas. That’s why I hope the legislature will take a hard look at those states in 2013, and figure what they’re doing that Arkansas could do as well.”
Cox said his group backed numerous anti-abortion bills at the Arkansas legislature last year, but that only one was enacted into law. “Abortion proponents had a very strong hold on the House Public Health Committee. I think had that committee allowed a few more bills to be voted on by the entire legislature, Arkansas might be more than number-five today.”
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