What Does Arkansas’ Current Abortion Law Actually Say?

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In this photo from June 24, 2022, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (left) and Family Council President Jerry Cox hold the official certification that Roe is reversed and Act 180 of 2019 is in effect.

After the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, Act 180 of 2019 prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother took effect in Arkansas.

Below is a brief overview of what Act 180 says:

  • Act 180 prohibits abortion in Arkansas except to save the mother’s life. 
  • The law contains clear exceptions for ectopic pregnancies.
  • It contains clear exceptions for contraception—including the “morning after” pill or Plan B. 
  • Act 180 doesn’t criminalize miscarriage. It specifically allows procedures to remove an unborn baby who has died as a result of a miscarriage. 
  • The law cannot be used to prosecute a woman who has an illegal abortion.
  • Act 180 says anyone who performs an illegal abortion in Arkansas can be fined and imprisoned. 
  • The law doesn’t prohibit an OB/GYN from inducing labor or performing an emergency C-section or similar procedure to protect the mother or the unborn child.
  • Act 180 doesn’t prevent a pregnant woman from receiving medical treatments—such as chemotherapy—that carry risk for the unborn child. 

Act 180 of 2019 had 47 legislative sponsors and co-sponsors. Three-quarters of the Arkansas Legislature voted in favor of the measure, and Governor Hutchinson signed it into law.

Public opinion polling has shown 79% of likely voters in Arkansas believe abortion should be either completely illegal or legal only under certain circumstances. Act 180 reflects that. It generally prohibits abortion, but it makes exceptions for serious medical complications—like an ectopic pregnancy—and for circumstances when the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

You Can Read Act 180 of 2019 Here.

Right now an effort is underway in Arkansas that would repeal Act 180 and write abortion into the Arkansas Constitution.

If passed, the Arkansas Abortion Amendment would allow thousands of elective abortions in Arkansas 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 amendment contains sweeping health exceptions that would permit abortion on demand 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.

Arkansans have generally opposed taxpayer-funded abortion, but taxpayer-funded abortion through all nine months of pregnancy could become a reality in Arkansas if the abortion amendment passes.

You can download a copy of the abortion amendment here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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With BSA Ditching the ‘Boy’ from Boy Scouts, Trail Life USA Offers Traditional Alternative: CBN News

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After more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to become a more “inclusive” organization several years after welcoming girls and gay boys into its scouting program.

The Texas-based organization is dropping “Boys” from its title to become Scouting America – after holding its namesake for the last 114 years – to shed its image roiled in bankruptcy and sexual abuse claims.

The rebranding effort is a major shift for the organization that exclusively started for boys aged 11 to 15 and aimed to develop “good citizenship, chivalrous behavior, and skill in various outdoor activities.”

Read the full story from CBN’s Talia Wise: https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/critics-blast-bsa-ditching-boy-boy-scouts-wokeness-destroys-everything-it-touches

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Marijuana Legalization is Sending Seniors to the E.R.

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A study published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine highlights how emergency room visits for cannabis poisonings have surged among Canadian seniors in the wake of legalization.

The study found the largest increase in E.R. visits occurred after edible marijuana products became available in 2020.

The New York Times analyzed the study’s findings, writing, “Poisonings doubled after Canada legalized sale of the cannabis flower, and then tripled just 15 months later, when Canada legalized the sale of edibles.”

This spike in E.R. visits related to marijuana is not an isolated situation. A 2022 study found E.R. visits similarly increased for Canadian children who suffered from marijuana poisoning. Other researchers have found poison center reports due to marijuana exposure rose 245% from 2000 – 2020. Children are especially prone to eat candy laced with marijuana by mistake, causing them to experience a medical emergency.

When states or countries legalize marijuana, there are real consequences. The increase in cannabis poisonings shows just some of the harm marijuana causes to public health.

Marijuana today is far more potent than in years past, and it carries serious risks.

Nationwide, since 2019, the number of kids diagnosed with cannabis-induced mental disorders, including schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, has increased by 50%.

Research closely links marijuana use with increased risk for depression and bipolar disorder and to higher rates of schizophrenia in young men.

Frequent marijuana use — especially during adolescence — is associated with lower cognitive abilities, including poorer memory, attention, and learning. These effects may continue even after someone stops using marijuana.

A recent study by the American Heart Association found that marijuana users face increased risk of heart attack and stroke compared to non-users.

Marijuana smoke contains toxins and carcinogens similar to tobacco smoke.

Right now the group Arkansans for Patient Access is actively working to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

The group has until July 5 to collect 90,704 petition signatures from registered voters to place the marijuana amendment on the ballot.

If passed, the amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

The amendment would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

Marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law — making it easier to use marijuana recreationally.

The measure also fails to limit the amount of THC that marijuana products can contain, and it repeals restrictions on marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in the state.

More and more, it’s plain to see that marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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