Senate Committee Passes Good Religious Freedom Measure

Religious Freedom,

On Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a good bill to protect religious freedom in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

This good bill is especially important for people who have religious convictions about biological sex and marriage.

Over the years, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions. Nobody should be forced to choose between their religious convictions and their livelihood, and nobody should be punished for obeying their conscience.

H.B. 1615 will help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

The bill passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives last week. It now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for a final vote.

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

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Teaching Students About Unborn Children Would Be Cost-Free to State of Arkansas: Report

Legislation, , ,

An official report published on Friday found that teaching public school students about fetal growth and development won’t cost the state any additional money.

S.B. 450 is a good bill by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln) that lets public school students see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as part of human fetal growth and development education courses.

The bill also contains provisions letting students learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb.

The Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 450 last week. However, the bill could not be presented to the House Education Committee before state officials reviewed what it would cost to implement S.B. 450. Friday’s fiscal impact statement showed S.B. 450 will not cost the state a dime.

This year, lawmakers have proposed multiple laws that would let public school students see ultrasound videos of unborn children and learn about fetal development in the womb.

H.B. 1180 by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) ensures public schools show students a high-definition ultrasound video that is at least three minutes long as part of sex-education and human growth and development education courses. The bill also ensures students see a video like Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth.

And H.B. 1946 — which is also by Rep. Bentley and Sen. Penzo — requires public schools to provide human growth and development education in grades 6 – 12 every school year. Under this bill, the courses must include a three-minute high-definition ultrasound video and a high-quality, computer animated video depicting the process of fertilization and every stage of fetal development.

As we have said before, it’s good to see lawmakers taking a strong interest in teaching public school students about unborn children.

Ultrasound technology provides what some people call a “window into the womb.” Good bills like H.B. 1180, S.B. 450, and H.B. 1946 help students understand that unborn children are living human beings.

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

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