Crossett to Dedicate First Safe Haven Baby Box on August 20

Abortion, , , ,

The following is a press release from Arkansas Right to Life.

CROSSETT – Crossett’s 1st and Arkansas’ 31th Safe Haven Baby Box will be dedicated at 1 p.m., Wednesday, August 20, at Ashley County Medical Center, 1015 Unity Road. The public is invited.

“Saving lives just got a little easier in Crossett, Arkansas, as our newest baby box will be blessed on August 20th. The newest addition represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide a safe and anonymous alternative to surrendering an infant,” said Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. “Our new location will offer a secure and compassionate option for parents in crisis and help ensure every infant has a chance for a safe and loving future. Across the country, there are 367 Safe Haven Baby Box locations with 31 in Arkansas.”

Kelsey added, “The Safe Haven Baby Box in Crossett would not have been possible without the local advocates, the Ashley County Medical Center, and Life Choices Pregnancy Care Center, for working tirelessly to bring this resource to their community.”

Speakers expected at the event include Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life; Phillip Gilmore, CEO, Ashley County Medical Center; Senator Ben Gilmore, and Rep. Howard Beatty. Phillip Slaughter, pastor of First Baptist Church, Crossett, will offer a blessing and remarks.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes was founded by Monica Kelsey on a mission to end infant abandonment. In addition to baby boxes, the organization provides a confidential National Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1. Twenty-four states have a Baby Box presence within their state. Kelsey shared, “We have seen time and time again that preparation can save and change lives. We never know when or where we will be needed, so it is crucial to have options for mothers in crisis. I am grateful for local advocates who take our mission to their community.”

Since 2017, 60 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box. The National Safe Haven Crisis line has assisted with more than 150 handoff surrenders. Each year the numbers increase with more baby boxes available across the country. Surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered as foster to adopt. The Local Department of Family Services coordinates the adoption process.

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Bank of America Updates Code of Conduct to Prevent Debanking

Religious Freedom, ,

Last week news outlets reported Bank of America is updating its code of conduct to prevent debanking.

The news comes in the wake of Trump Administration executive order “guaranteeing fair banking for all Americans.”

Since 2021, congressional testimony and news stories have highlighted how federal officials and financial institutions targeted conservative organizations through “reputational risk” policies. Conservatives deemed “high risk” could have their bank accounts closed without warning and without explanation.

Corporate shareholders, state attorneys general, congressmen, federal investigators, and news outlets all have expressed concerns over conservatives being wrongly labeled as “high risk” or “hate groups” and subsequently debanked.

Since then, JPMorgan Chase has taken steps to prevent religiously-motivated debanking. Now Bank of America is finally doing the same.

In a statement, our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom wrote,

“No American should ever fear that their bank will cancel them or deny them service because of their religious beliefs or political views. Bank of America has taken an important step forward in protecting against future discrimination against its customers. Over the past two years, ADF and our partners in both the private and public sectors have repeatedly engaged with Bank of America’s leadership to advocate for this change—one that is particularly crucial given Bank of America’s disturbing track record of debanking religious clients like U.S.-based Indigenous Advance Ministries, one of its supporting churches, and Timothy Two Project International. Bank of America is taking steps in the right direction to protect its customers from discrimination, but it has a long way to go to rebuild trust in the marketplace. We look forward to more banks following in the steps of JPMorgan Chase, and now Bank of America, as they come into compliance with President Trump’s recent executive order.”

We have written repeatedly about allegations that major financial institutions have deliberately debanked conservative individuals and organizations.

In 2021 Family Council’s credit card processor abruptly cancelled our account after designating our organization as “high risk.” Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Other organizations have had similar experiences as well.

It’s good to see federal regulators and financial institutions finally taking steps to stop debanking. After all, banks that are too big to fail are too big to discriminate.

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

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Atheist Groups Renew Legal Fight Against Arkansas Ten Commandments Monument

Ten Commandments Monument, ,
Above: Former Sen. Jason Rapert and then-Rep. Kim Hammer unveil Arkansas’ monument commemorating the Ten Commandments in this file photo from 2018. Atheist organizations filed a lawsuit to have the monument removed, but the case has remained in limbo for seven years.

Last Friday, a group of atheist organizations filed a new motion in federal court to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the Arkansas Capitol lawn.

In 2015, the Arkansas Legislature authorized a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments on the Arkansas Capitol Building grounds. The monument is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the capitol building in Texas.

It was unveiled in 2018, but atheist groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Satanic Temple quickly filed a federal lawsuit to have the monument removed. The case has been in legal limbo ever since.

Earlier this year the Arkansas Legislature passed a separate law, Act 573 of 2025 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs), authorizing privately funded Ten Commandments posters to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings in Arkansas. The measure received strong support in the Arkansas Legislature, but lawyers from the ACLU and a group of atheist organizations filed a federal lawsuit against four public school districts to block Act 573. On August 4, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks partially blocked a state law placing copies of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas’ public schools.

The new motion against Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument argues that the court ruling against the Ten Commandments posters in four Arkansas schools means U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker should rule against Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument on the capitol grounds.

The new motion claims,

This Court should grant summary judgment for the Cave Plaintiffs, invalidate the Ten Commandments Monument Display Act as violating the Establishment Clause, and order that the Ten Commandments Monument located on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds be permanently removed.

The truth is Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments is identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court ruled constitutional at the Texas Capitol Building in 2005.

As we have said many times, there shouldn’t be anything controversial about a monument honoring the significance of the Ten Commandments.

Historians have long recognized the Ten Commandments as one of the earliest examples of the rule of law in human history, and they have helped shape philosophy and laws in countries around the world.

That’s why the Ten Commandments traditionally have appeared in artwork at courthouses and other public buildings.

Arkansas’ laws commemorating the Ten Commandments honor their historical and cultural legacy. With that in mind, we believe our federal courts eventually will resolve these lawsuits and uphold Arkansas’ Ten Commandments laws as constitutional.

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

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