A Look Back At Act 619 of 2019 Prohibiting Abortion In Cases of Down Syndrome

Abortion, , ,

March 21 is International Down Syndrome Day, a day when people advocate for the rights of those with Down Syndrome.

By some estimates, most unborn babies are aborted if they are diagnosed in the womb as having Down Syndrome.

That is part of the reason why the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 619 on March 27, 2019, prohibiting abortions performed solely because the unborn child has Down Syndrome.

Unfortunately, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Little Rock Family Planning Services filed a lawsuit against Act 619. Today, Act 619 is among Arkansas’ pro-life laws tied up in court.

In 2019, Family Council estimated that Act 619 could save 100 unborn children from abortion each year, if enforced.

This good law may be tied up in court right now, but it’s worth remembering that public opinion polling shows most Arkansans believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or permitted only under certain circumstances.

Arkansas’ pro-life laws are among the best in the nation, and abortion in Arkansas sits near record lows.

Slowly but surely we are winning the fight to stop abortion in our state.

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

READ MORE

Redemption Even in War

Current Events,

During World War II, Jewish teenager Fania Rosenfield lost nearly her entire family to the Nazis. She somehow managed to escape the slaughter happening in her town and find refuge for two years with a Ukrainian family before settling in Israel to begin a new life. 

Fania repeatedly told the story of the brave Ukrainian family who saved her to her children and grandchildren. And, a few weeks ago when the Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Fania’s granddaughter made a choice to reach out to the family who had saved her grandmother. Now, two young cousins from that Ukrainian family have fled to Israel and are safe with Fania’s family.

In the utter darkness of wartime, such as we’re now witnessing in Ukraine, we wonder why a good God would allow such evil. Stories like this, of families transcending national, political, ethnic, and generational lines to sacrificially love others, remind us to thank God for allowing such beauty in the world. 

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

READ MORE

Marijuana PAC Gives Money to Arkansas Candidates

Marijuana,

Reports filed with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office show the pro-marijuana political action committee Grow has given $6,000 this year to candidates for the Arkansas Legislature ahead of the May Primary Elections.

As we have written before, Grow represents the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, a trade association for medical marijuana in Arkansas.

So far this year Grow has donated to the following campaigns:

  • $500 to Rep. Fred Love for State Senate District 31 (See Report)
  • $500 to Rep. Jim Dotson for State Senate District 34 (See Report)
  • $500 to Sen. Jonathan Dismang for State Senate District 18 (See Report)
  • $500 to Sen. Terry Rice for State Senate District 5 (See Report)
  • $1,000 to Rep. Stephen Magie for State House District 56 (See Report)
  • $250 to Rep. Ashley Hudson for State House District 32 (See Report)
  • $1,000 to Sen. Bill Sample for State Senate District 6 (See Report)
  • $500 to Rep. David Hillman for State House District 61 (See Report)
  • $250 to Rep. Andrew Collins for State House District 73 (See Report)
  • $1,000 to Sen. Linda Chesterfield for State Senate District 30 (See Report)

As we have noted before, much of the money that Grow donates to candidates in Arkansas appears to come from marijuana businesses headquartered out-of-state.

Marijuana is a multimillion dollar business, and the corporations behind marijuana have a lot of money at their disposal.

As the 2022 election season progresses, voters need to be prepared for the marijuana industry to work hard to push its agenda in Arkansas.

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

READ MORE