BREAKING: Secretary of State Disqualifies Abortion Amendment Petitions for Failing to Comply With State Law

Above: Pro-lifers gather at the capitol as petitions for the abortion amendment are delivered to the Secretary of State in this file photo from July 5, 2024.

The following is a press release from Family Council Action Committee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 10, 2024

On Wednesday the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office disqualified the petitions for the Arkansas Abortion Amendment due to the petitions’ failure to identify paid canvassers by name as required by state law.

Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “This is good news. The people who supported this amendment ran an aggressive petition campaign. But Arkansas law is very specific about how petition signatures are supposed to be collected and submitted. The Secretary of State has made the right decision by disqualifying these petitions that did not comply with the law. We appreciate the Secretary of State’s diligence in reviewing these petitions and commitment to upholding state law.”

Cox said he is confident the abortion amendment would not have passed even if it reached the ballot. “Over the past several weeks we have seen a groundswell of pro-life opposition against the abortion amendment. Arkansans do not support abortion on demand, and that is what this amendment would have brought to Arkansas. This amendment would have legalized abortion for any reason during the first five months of pregnancy and abortion up to birth in many cases. The amendment did not include any medical licensing or health and safety standards for abortion. Those are fatal flaws, and I am confident Arkansans would have rejected the amendment had it made it to the ballot.”

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Gov. Sanders Calls on Arkansas to Pray for Peace in Israel

Gov. Sanders recently issued a proclamation setting aside July 23 as “Pray for Peace in Israel Day in Arkansas.”

The proclamation notes that Arkansas is committed to promoting peace and justice, and that “the State of Arkansas recognizes the importance of fostering strong bonds of friendship and support” with Israel.

It recognizes the threats and challenges Israel faces today, and calls on the State of Arkansas to join in prayer for “the peace, security, and prosperity of Israel.”

A copy of the proclamation is available below.

Pro-Abortion Scare Tactics: Guest Column

Activists are working hard to convince that abortion makes everyone safer, including babies.

In the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion activists have launched large-scale media campaigns to drive a false narrative that pro-life laws are harmful. 

For example, AP News recently shared a study that infant deaths have risen 8% in Texas since the passing of an abortion ban. The claim that more children are dying because they weren’t killed in the womb is odd enough, but the study also failed to account for the lives saved from abortion.  

Another scare tactic wielded by the pro-abortion movement is telling outlying stories of women who have been victims of medical malpractice to scare other women about what their lives could be without abortion.  

The answer is more clarity about the law for healthcare professionals, not greater access to abortion. After all, abortion poses risks to the health of women, and when performed “successfully,” always end in a death.  

The fight for life requires us to counter this lie that abortion is healthcare. 

Copyright 2024 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.