State of Arkansas Launches Grant Program for Pro-Life Pregnancy Resource Centers

Abortion, , , ,

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration is accepting grant applications from pregnancy help organizations across the state.

Act 187 of 2022 budgets up to $1 million in state funds to provide grants for organizations that assist women with unplanned pregnancies — including pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social services agencies.

These organizations provide women with real options besides abortion, and they help women and families as they navigate unplanned pregnancies.

According to the Department of Finance and Administration, pregnancy help organizations can use the funds for projects and expenses such as:

  • Activities in direct support of pregnant women
  • Project material and supplies
  • Advertising of available services
  • Brochures and publications explaining services and available resources
  • Rent of facilities where services are provided
  • Utilities of facilities where services are provided
  • Contracts for client-focused professional services (mental health counseling, etc.)
  • Staffing for the duration of the project

Now that Roe v. Wade has been reversed and Arkansas has prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother, we need to step up and help women with unplanned pregnancies.

Providing grant funding for pregnancy help organizations is part of our long term strategy to reduce the demand for abortion in Arkansas. This grant money could be a game-changer for many pro-life charities.

Pregnancy help organizations can apply for grant funding through the Department of Finance and Administration.

Pregnancy resource centers can contact the ARFuture Foundation in Little Rock for additional information about applying for this grant and others in Arkansas.

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State Lawsuit Alleges Marijuana Company Misrepresented THC Levels in Vaping Product

Marijuana

A lawsuit filed in Arkansas’ Faulkner County Circuit Court in June alleges that marijuana businesses manufactured and sold vaping products whose THC levels were improperly labeled.

The lawsuit identifies J.W. Nguyen as an Arkansas resident who purchased a marijuana vape product marketed as being low in Delta-9 THC — the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana.

According to the lawsuit, marijuana products that are low in Delta-9 THC are permitted under federal law. The lawsuit claims that Nguyen later tested positive for Delta-9 THC after using the product, and it indicates that subsequent testing revealed the marijuana vape contained inappropriate levels of Delta-9 THC.

A photograph of the vape product’s label says the product “Contains Natural Hemp Extract.”

The lawsuit alleges that the mislabeling violates the federal RICO law, the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Act.

This lawsuit filed in state court is separate from a federal RICO lawsuit brought against a group of marijuana businesses in July alleging the businesses conspired to mislabel THC levels in marijuana products.

Read the Lawsuit Filed in Faulkner County Circuit Court Here.

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FDA Adds Warning Label to Puberty Blockers

Transgender,

In July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a warning label to puberty blockers after six biological girls developed symptoms of tumor-like masses in the brain. One of the girls reportedly was receiving the puberty blockers for purposes of gender transition.

The new label warns of headache, papilledema, blurred or loss of vision, diplopia, pain behind the eye or pain with eye movement, tinnitus, dizziness, and nausea associated with tumor-like masses in the brain.

The FDA has approved puberty blockers to treat precocious puberty, among other things, but has never approved them for sex-change procedures.

Doctors who give puberty blockers to children for purposes of gender transition are doing so off label. That is part of the reason why many medical experts say giving puberty blockers to children for gender transition is “experimental” at best.

Last year the Arkansas Legislature passed the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act.

The SAFE Act is an excellent law that protects children from sex-reassignment procedures, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones.

Unfortunately, the ACLU and others filed a lawsuit against the SAFE Act last summer, before the law officially took effect.

Several business interests and the Biden-Harris Administration also have joined the fight against Arkansas’ SAFE Act.

U.S. District Judge James Moody temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law while the lawsuit progresses. 

Arkansas’ Attorney General asked the Eighth Circuit to lift his order so that the state can start enforcing the law right away. In June a three-judge panel heard arguments in that case.

The FDA’s warning label underscores the risks associated with giving puberty blockers to children. Arkansas’ SAFE Act protects children. We believe federal courts ultimately will recognize that fact and uphold this good law as constitutional.

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