Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) presents H.B. 1211 to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives.
On Wednesday H.B. 1211 declaring religious organizations essential in Arkansas became Act 94 of 2021.
The measure is now in effect as a part of state law.
This good law by Representative Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) and Senator Kim Hammer (R – Benton) recognizes that religion and religious organizations are essential in Arkansas.
It helps protect churches and other religious organizations from being targeted, penalized, or discriminated against during a time of emergency.
Act 94 will help protect churches and religious groups from discrimination without hampering the government’s ability to respond to an emergency.
Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) presents S.B. 6 in the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
On Wednesday the Senate Public Health Committee advanced S.B. 6 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) on a unanimous voice vote.
If enacted, this good bill would prevent abortion in Arkansas except in cases when the mother’s life is at risk and give the U.S. Supreme Court an opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and other pro-abortion decisions.
Family Council fully supports the passage of this good measure. This is an opportunity for Arkansas to be a real leader in the effort to end abortion in America.
Many people have been saying for almost fifty years that abortion should be illegal. The time has come for us to make it so.
Several pro-lifers, including Rose Mimms of Arkansas Right to Life, testified in favor of the bill in Wednesday’s committee meeting.
Members of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network testified against the bill.
S.B. 6 now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration; most of the members of the Arkansas Senate are co-sponsoring this good bill.
Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are actively opposing two good pieces of legislation in Arkansas:
S.B. 289 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) protecting healthcare professionals’ rights of conscience and S.B. 6 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) prohibiting abortion except when the mother’s life is at risk.
Here is a little of what Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are telling people:
We're back in the #arleg Senate, which is expected to take up #SB289 allowing broad medical discrimination. You can read more about the incredible dangers of the legislation here: https://t.co/BwDxgpJZzM#arpx
⚠️URGENT⚠️ #SB6 has its first hearing today in #arleg. It would completely ban abortion in Arkansas – with no exceptions.
This could be your last chance: tell your Senator to stand up for reproductive rights and against this extreme legislation. https://t.co/ViVR3p3Bfc#arpx
🚨 A dangerous healthcare refusal bill is being heard in committee TODAY. SB289 would mean: ❌refusals of health care ❌staffing challenges for hospitals ❌harm to patients throughout Arkansas
S.B. 289 helps protect healthcare professionals’ rights of conscience.
Current law gives healthcare workers narrow protections for their rights of conscience.
S.B. 289 broadens these conscience protections for healthcare workers and ensures that healthcare professionals have equal conscience protections.
Arkansas’ healthcare payers currently have no specific conscience protections, and Arkansas law does not address discrimination or retaliation against medical professionals or companies who have conscientious objections to certain procedures. Current law also does not provide specific legal remedies for victims of discrimination or retaliation.
S.B. 289 simply helps address these problems.
Here’s what S.B. 6 actually does:
S.B. 6 prohibits abortion except in cases of medical emergency when the woman’s life is at risk.
The bill is similar to Arkansas’ abortion statutes prior to Roe v. Wade.
S.B. 6’s exception allowing abortion when the woman’s life is at risk tracks with Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution, which says it is the policy of the State of Arkansas to protect the lives of unborn children and contains exceptions for abortions performed to save the life of the woman.
Passing S.B. 6 would give the courts an opportunity to reverse decades of pro-abortion decisions.
If enforced, S.B. 6 would save the lives of thousands of unborn children in Arkansas every year.
These are two really good bills that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU appear to be trying to stop in Arkansas.
