Group Backing Abortion Amendment Announces Petition Canvassing Locations Through End of June

Abortion,

The group backing an abortion amendment in Arkansas has scheduled petition canvassing locations through the end of June.

Arkansans for Limited Government is collecting more than 90,000 petition signatures by July 5 to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the November ballot.

The measure would write abortion into the state constitution, and it would prevent the Arkansas Legislature from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy — allowing thousands of elective abortions every year and paving the way for taxpayer-funded abortions in Arkansas.

The measure also contains sweeping health exceptions that permit abortion up to birth in many cases, and it does not contain any medical licensing or safety standards for abortionists and abortion facilities.

According to the group’s website, supporters of the abortion amendment are collecting petition signatures at 15 permanent locations in Arkansas.

The group also is collecting signatures at “events, pop-ups, and drive-thru locations” from now through the end of June.

Canvassing locations appear to be concentrated in central and northwest Arkansas.

The amendment faces strong opposition from multiple grassroots organizations and elected officials in Arkansas. Many pro-life organizations are urging voters to “decline to sign” the abortion petition this year.

You can download a copy of the abortion amendment here.

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

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Arkansas Legislature Convenes for Fiscal Session

Legislature

The Arkansas Legislature convened its 2024 fiscal session on Wednesday.

Lawmakers have pre-filed 142 budget measures ahead of this session — the vast majority of which simply appropriate funds for state agencies in the coming 2025 fiscal year.

One of Family Council’s goals for the 2024 budget session is to work with lawmakers to secure an appropriation that will provide funding for pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the state.

 In 2022 we worked with the legislature and the governor to secure $1 million in funding for pregnancy centers. We did the same thing last year as well.

This funding has gone to good organizations across the state that give women and families real assistance when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

Since the 2022 Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade, state legislatures around the country have ramped up state funding for pregnancy help organizations, and Arkansas risks lagging behind other states if we don’t provide adequate funding for these organizations.

More than 50 pregnancy help organizations serve thousands of women in Arkansas. Providing them with assistance from state-funded grants enables them to do even more in our state.

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

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Driven by Sports Betting, Arkansas Problem Gambling Council Reports Spike in Calls for Help

Gambling,

KATV reports the Arkansas Problem Gambling Council has seen a 22% increase in calls for help in 2024:

Between sports, horse racing, and casinos, the thrill of a possible big-money win keeps Arkansans coming back for more.

“The love of the game, the love of sports, but it’s also with the advancement of technology,” said Vena Schexnayder of the APGC. “Right now, we carry little casinos in our pocket and that’s our phones.”

Schexnayder said this silent addiction can get out of hand.

Gambling via smart phone is relatively new in Arkansas. In 2022 lawmakers approved a state rule change to permit sports betting online via smart phones and other mobile devices from anywhere in Arkansas. Family Council strongly opposed that rule change.

Sports betting is particularly out of hand nationwide, and some sports betting companies have actually produced ads that seem to promote problem-gambling behavior — like commercials that show people so fixated on sports betting that they ignore everyone else around them or encouraging people to take advantage of every opportunity to gamble.

People who gamble online face a serious risk of developing a gambling addiction, and some research indicates that people who engage in sports betting are twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems.

You can watch KATV’s news segment below.

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