Bill Filed to End Abortion in Arkansas

Abortion, , , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 18, 2020

On Wednesday Senator Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) filed S.B. 6 to make abortion illegal in Arkansas except when the mother’s life is at stake.  If passed, the bill will generally prohibit abortion in Arkansas 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 President Jerry Cox released a statement saying, “Many people have been saying for almost fifty years that abortion should be illegal. The time has come for us to make it so. S.B. 6 will give the U.S. Supreme Court the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade. Family Council fully supports the passage of this good law. This is an opportunity for Arkansas to be a real leader in the effort to end abortion in America.”

Cox pointed out that public opinion polling shows Arkansans oppose abortion. “Arkansans are overwhelmingly pro-life. Recent public opinion polling shows twenty-three percent of Arkansans believe abortion ought to be completely illegal, and fifty-nine percent believe abortion ought to be legal only under certain circumstances.”

Cox said Family Council will work to mobilize Arkansans to support S.B. 6. “We have a grassroots network of about ten thousand Arkansans and churches across the state, and we work very closely with pro-life organizations that oppose abortion nationwide. We believe they will be very excited about supporting this legislation, and they will want to do their part to secure its passage.”

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Family Council Opposes Hate Crimes Bill

Hate Crimes, Legislation,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 16, 2020

Little Rock – On Monday, Arkansas State Senator Jim Hendren (R – Gravette) and State Representative Fred Love (D – Little Rock) filed S.B. 3 to enact hate crimes legislation in Arkansas.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “No law has ever stopped hate, and no law ever will. It’s a matter of the heart. The experience of other states proves that hate crimes laws do not work. Over the past few years we’ve seen despicable crimes committed in states that have hate crimes laws. According to the FBI, the states with the most hate crimes all have hate crimes laws. It’s clear that hate crimes laws simply do not work. We all agree something needs to be done to address racism in our state, but passing a hate crimes law isn’t the answer.”

Cox said hate crimes laws promote unequal justice. “Laws like S.B. 3 treat crimes and their victims unequally. Targeting anyone and committing a crime is wrong and currently illegal. When hate crimes laws levy harsher penalties for targeting some people but not others, the punishments can differ even if the crimes are the same. The penalty for assault or murder should be the same no matter the victim’s race, religion, or sexual-orientation.”

Cox said Family Council will oppose S.B. 3. “We have opposed hate crimes laws like S.B. 3 every time they have been proposed at the Arkansas Legislature since the 1990s. This legislation was a bad idea 25 years ago, and it’s still a bad idea today.”

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Legislators Propose Bad Hate Crimes Bill

Hate Crimes, News, , ,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 25, 2020

Little Rock – On Wednesday, Arkansas State Senator Jim Hendren (R) – Gravette and State Representative Nicole Clowney (D) – Fayetteville renewed calls for Arkansas to pass hate crimes legislation.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “No law has ever stopped hate, and no law ever will. It’s a matter of the heart. The experience of other states proves that hate crimes laws do not work. Over the past few years we’ve seen despicable crimes committed in states that have hate crimes laws. According to the FBI, the states with the most hate crimes all have hate crimes laws. It’s clear that hate crimes laws simply do not work. This hate crimes law does nothing to address issues like police brutality, no-knock warrants, racial profiling, and unequal justice. It does nothing to address the real issues that people are deeply concerned about. We all agree something needs to be done to address racism in our state, but passing a hate crimes law isn’t the answer.”

Cox said hate crimes laws promote unequal justice. “Laws like the one being proposed here in Arkansas treat crimes and their victims unequally. Targeting anyone and committing a crime is wrong and currently illegal. When hate crimes laws levy harsher penalties for targeting some people but not others, the punishments can differ even if the crimes are the same. The penalty for assault or murder should be the same no matter the victim’s race, religion, or sexual-orientation.”

Cox said Family Council will oppose any effort to pass hate crimes legislation in Arkansas. “We have opposed hate crimes laws every time they have been proposed at the Arkansas Legislature since the 1990s. This legislation was a bad idea 25 years ago, and it’s still a bad idea today.”

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