State of Arkansas Looks to Expand Services for Women and Children Now That Abortion is Prohibited

Abortion, , ,

Now that abortion in Arkansas is prohibited except to save the life of the mother, the State is looking at ways to expand services for children and pregnant women.

On Tuesday Governor Asa Hutchinson held a press conference, where he outlined plans for providing resources to women who otherwise might be at-risk for seeking abortion.

The plans includes:

  • Expanding home visitations and intensive care coordination services for high-risk pregnancies and for children after birth.
  • Expanding Medicaid coverage for pregnant women up to 212% of the federal poverty level.
  • Increased funding for foster care.
  • A hotline for information on pregnancy, parenting resources and charitable organizations that focus on pregnancy resources: 1-855-ARK-MOMS (275-6667)

The governor indicated that these services could come online in January.

The State of Arkansas also is accepting grant applications from pregnancy help organizations that assist pregnant women. The state is set to award $1 million to these organizations in the coming months.

Below is a press release from the Governor’s Office.

LITTLE ROCK – Joined by supporting members of the General Assembly, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Health, Governor Asa Hutchinson held a press conference Tuesday morning to discuss plans for improving the lives of children and maternal health care.

The state has made progress regarding children’s health, and wellbeing over the last 10 years. The governor noted there is much still to be done by the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services, and we need to address challenges in these areas.

The Governor stated that he has asked both departments to make recommendations as to how the state can do more and how to improve maternal health care in Arkansas, and the safety and wellbeing of our children.

Department of Human Services and Arkansas Department of Health proposals:

The governor stated DHS is awaiting CMS approval of the Maternal Life360Home program. This will make nearly 5,000 women enrolled in ARHOME eligible for home visitations and intensive care coordination services for high-risk pregnancies and for children after birth. DHS also plans to seek federal approval to extend Maternal Life360 Home visitation services to all high-risk pregnant women in Medicaid, which would make an additional 5,000 pregnant women eligible for these services annually.

Governor Hutchinson said that home visitation programs can improve maternal health outcomes, and create better health outcomes for children born to these mothers. The waiver is expected to be granted by September, and services will then begin in January.

The second initiative aims to address the traditional Medicaid population. The proposal would expand Medicaid coverage for pregnant women up to 212% of the federal poverty level. Currently, the coverage is limited to only covering the child or conditions related to the pregnancy.

“It is important after birth that the mom has more complete health care coverage,” Governor Hutchinson said. “That will save children’s lives, as well as the health of the mom.”

These expanded services will include behavioral health services and non-pregnancy medical conditions. DHS projects this expanded coverage will begin in January, which will make more than 2,000 pregnant women eligible annually for these expanded services.

The third initiative will address the issue of foster care in Arkansas. Currently, many foster parents receive board payments, averaging $455 per month, to cover food and shelter for children in foster care. Many children who come into foster care are placed in a provisional placement. However, provisional placements are not eligible for board payments under Arkansas law. 

The governor announced he will authorize, with legislative support, the use of $1.7 million that will support this effort to provide support payments for foster parents who have foster children in provisional placements.

Additionally, the governor stated in the future the state needs to increase traditional foster parents’ monthly board payments. DHS will submit plans in 2023 requesting additional General Revenue for FY2024 to increase board payment amounts.

The governor stated the goal of the Department of Health’s proposals is to reach more women to take advantage of existing home visiting programs and partners through expanded outreach. They also want to increase training for the home visitors, which would give participating families increased support.

ADH will also be implementing a resource call line for Arkansans to get helpful information on pregnancy and parenting resources in their area. These services will include those provided by ADH, DHS, other state agencies, and charitable organizations that focus on pregnancy resources.

The number for that call line is 1-855-ARK-MOMS (275-6667).

You can watch the full briefing HERE.

You can view the slide presentation from today’s briefing HERE.

###

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

READ MORE

The Marijuana Emergency

Marijuana

Marijuana policies are clearly headed in a direction that does not align with what we now know.

In early March 2021, the U.S. Senate’s Caucus on International Narcotics Control released a report on the increasing potency of marijuana products available on the market. At the time, America was just a year into the pandemic and related lockdowns, so marijuana policy was not front and center on everyone’s mind. It should have been. In fact, the findings contained in the report can be described as shocking. A more creative, but just as accurate, title for this 58-page report would be “This Isn’t Your Grandpa’s Weed.” 

Included in the findings, the THC levels in marijuana products are soaring. THC is the psychoactive chemical that gives pot users a high, and reportedly provides relief from pain and nausea. In recent years, high-potency products have become more common. In 1990, the average concentration of THC in a marijuana plant was 4%. By 2012, it had tripled to 12%. Today, some products on the market have THC levels as high as 90%.  

These increasing levels come even though a 2020 NIH study found that pain relief benefits of marijuana require THC levels no higher than 5% and that marijuana with higher THC levels might even be less effective in fighting pain. Setting aside the consistent political reality that legalizing medical marijuana is always intended to lead to the legalizing of recreational marijuana—even if legitimate pain patients need medical marijuana, they do not need THC levels of 90%. 

And yet, marijuana policies are clearly headed in a direction that does not align with what we now know. Most U.S. states allow marijuana use in some capacity. The only two states in the country with a cap on THC levels and high-potency products are Vermont and California, where the cap is 60%. Right now, Ohio’s legislature is considering a bill to cap THC levels at 90%. At that level, what is the point? 

While the political posturing continues, a dystopian reality born of the marijuana revolution is unfolding outside statehouses. Doctors and emergency rooms across the country have sounded the alarm on the spike in psychosis, suicidal ideation, actual suicide, schizophrenia, and addiction-like behavior they have seen among young people using high-potency marijuana. 

In June, The New York Times reported the story of a teenage girl who could not stop fainting and throwing up after becoming functionally addicted to vaping high-potency pot. A doctor at the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children’s hospital has reported an explosion in the number of young cannabis users experiencing “hallucinations and trouble distinguishing between fantasy and reality.” And increased marijuana use also poses secondary dangers such as more deadly traffic accidents, more poisonings of young people who mistake edibles for candy, and a worsening opioid crisis, which many doctors believe is directly correlated with marijuana legalization.  

Lawmakers in Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana 10 years ago, are now trying to apply brakes to this runaway train. Last year, the state legislature passed a bill mandating that coroners test THC levels when someone under 25 suffers a “non-natural death.” According to one state senator, “Since legalization in Colorado, the regulatory framework has failed to keep up with the evolution of the new products….  The industry has changed, and we need to catch up with those changes.” Unfortunately, “catching up with changes” is not generally a “strength” of government. 

The Church, however, can play a redemptive role. American Christians have a responsibility to advocate for policies that benefit our neighbors’ welfare and against policies that hurt them. Marijuana should be no different. The 30-billion dollar marijuana industry has been incredibly deft in crafting messaging that makes anyone opposed to legalizing weed seem “uncool” or “behind the times.”  

So, it is essential to understand that today’s weed is far ahead of the times. We are far removed from the Cheech and Chong days. This stuff is dangerous, particularly for young people. Christians should be highly motivated to not let this cat out of the bag wherever it has not yet been loosed and to minister to people where it has, including in addiction recovery centers and other healthcare settings.  

Christians have a legacy of running into the plague when everyone else is running away. Marijuana legalization has reached plague status. It is time to head in.

Copyright 2025 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

READ MORE