Bill Filed to Restrict Buying and Selling of Human Eggs in Arkansas

Bioethics,

On Monday Rep. Cindy Crawford (R – Fort Smith) filed H.B. 1441 to address commercial egg harvesting in Arkansas.

This good bill restricts the buying and selling of human eggs.

Currently, Arkansas law contains no specific protections for egg donors.

State law does not prohibit companies from coercing young women to sell their eggs or paying large sums of money to harvest unfertilized human eggs.

State law does not ensure women are informed of the health risks associated with egg harvesting.

H.B. 1441 addresses these problems.

The bill prohibits companies and individuals from paying women for their eggs, but it permits altruistic egg donations.

It prohibits companies and individuals from advertising compensation for human eggs to prospective egg providers.

It requires human eggs to be harvested by a physician in a hospital, clinic, or other medical facility that meets Arkansas Department of Health licensing standards.

Egg harvesting requires hormone treatments that carry serious health risks. H.B. 1441 requires individuals or companies that harvest eggs to give the woman important information regarding the procedure, including a summary of drug or hormone treatments involved.

You can read the bill here.

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Senate Public Health Committee Advances Bill to Protect Conscience

Legislature,
From Left: Family Council’s Luke McCoy joins Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Stephanie Nichols during presentation of S.B. 289 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

On Monday the Senate Public Health Committee passed S.B. 289 by a unanimous voice vote.

This good bill by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Brandt Smith (R – Jonesboro) protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

Arkansas’ current conscience protections are narrowly focused on abortion, abortifacients, and end of life decisions, and they protect only a limited number of people.

S.B. 289 helps broaden these protections for healthcare workers.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Stephanie Nichols traveled to Little Rock to testify in favor of the bill and outline some of the threats that rights of conscience currently face in Arkansas and across the United States.

No one should have to worry about facing retaliation or discrimination for obeying their conscientious convictions.

Rights-of-conscience is a long-established tradition that predates the U.S. Constitution. This right should not be ignored.

Arkansas’ healthcare payers currently have no specific conscience protections, and Arkansas law does not address discrimination or retaliation against medical professionals or companies who object to certain procedures. Current law also does not provide specific legal remedies for victims of discrimination or retaliation.

S.B. 289 helps address these problems. The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate.

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43rd Annual March for Life Rescheduled for March 14

Abortion, , , ,

The 43rd annual March for Life in Little Rock will take place Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 PM at West Capitol and Wolfe streets.

The march is a peaceful and prayerful event that attracts thousands of Arkansans from across the state including churches and families to remember the estimated 60+ million unborn children who have been killed by legal abortion.

This event, sponsored by Arkansas Right to Life, will remember the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States on January 22, 1973.

Staging begins at 1:30 p.m. between Battery and Wolfe Streets on West Capitol Avenue behind the Arkansas State Capitol. At 2:00 p.m. President Andy Mayberry will lead the marchers along with elected officials, invited dignitaries and others special guests to the steps of the State Capitol for a brief program.

For more information go to artl.org.

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