Perry County Becomes Arkansas’ Ninth Pro-Life County

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On Monday night the Perry County Quorum Court passed a resolution affirming that the county is Pro-Life.

Perry County is Arkansas’ ninth Pro-Life County.

The resolution reads,

A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE COUNTY OF PERRY, ARKANSAS TO PROTECTING THE UNALIENABLE RIGHT TO LIFE OF EVERY PERSON; AND DECLARING THE COUNTY OF PERRY, ARKANSAS TO BE A PRO-LIFE COUNTY.

WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence declares that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution states that the policy of the State of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth; and

WHEREAS, it is the duty of state and local governments to protect the unalienable right to life of every person within their respective jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court stated in Poelker v. Doe, 432 U.S. 519 (1977), that the United States Constitution does not forbid a municipality, pursuant to democratic processes, from expressing a preference for normal childbirth instead of abortion;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Quorum Court of the County of Perry, Arkansas:

Section 1: It is the policy of the County of Perry to promote and protect the dignity and humanity of all persons at all stages of life from conception until natural death.

Section 2: The County of Perry declares itself to be a Pro-Life County.

Act 392 of 2021 by Rep. Kendon Underwood (R – Cave Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R – Branch) affirms that municipalities in Arkansas can designate themselves as Pro-Life.

Pro-Life resolutions have passed in the City of Mariana and the City of Springdale.

Washington, Benton, Crawford, Cleburne, Pope, Jackson, Saline, and Faulkner counties have passed pro-life resolutions as well.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities can adopt pro-life policy positions like these resolutions.

In fact, any city, town, or county can pass a pro-life resolution like the ones that these communities have passed.

Public opinion polling shows Arkansans are overwhelmingly pro-life. We hope other communities will pass their own resolutions affirming that they are Pro-Life — just like Perry County.

If you would like to learn more about how you can pass a pro-life resolution in your community, give us a call at (501) 375-7000 or click here.

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Arkansas A.G. Signs Amicus Brief Against Biden Administration’s Pro-Abortion Effort in Texas

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On Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined other state A.G.’s in filing an amicus brief against the Biden Administration’s attempt to thwart Texas’ pro-life heartbeat law.

Texas enacted the law earlier this year. It generally prohibits abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected. As a result of the law, abortion facilities in Texas have been closed for the past several weeks.

However, the Biden Administration has taken legal action to block the law.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is spearheading that effort in federal court.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Rutledge and others filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying,

The Attorney General [Merrick Garland] has no authority to act as a roving reviser of state law, challenging as unconstitutional any rule with which he disagrees. Congress has repeatedly refused to grant him such authority; this Court should refuse to do so as well.

It’s good to see Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and her team continuing to take a strong stand against the Biden Administration’s pro-abortion policies.

This case could have significant implications for pro-life laws in Arkansas and elsewhere.

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Planned Parenthood Announces It Will Fight Any Texas-Style “Heartbeat” Legislation in Arkansas

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Above: Planned Parenthood’s chemical abortion facility in Little Rock.

According to the Arkansas Times, this week Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes announced it will strongly oppose any effort to introduce a pro-life heartbeat law at the Arkansas Legislature like the one recently enacted in Texas.

The Texas law generally prohibits abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected. As a result of the law, abortion facilities in Texas have been closed for the past several weeks.

If Arkansas does not pass a Texas-style heartbeat law, then we could see more women travel to Little Rock from out-of-state for abortions — much like we did during the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020.

Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) has indicated that he hopes to introduce a Texas-style heartbeat law during an upcoming special session of the Arkansas Legislature. Sen. Rapert successfully secured passage of a heartbeat law in 2013, but the federal courts struck down most of that law.

Planned Parenthood operates two facilities in Arkansas.

The Little Rock facility performs drug-induced abortions that poison unborn children in the womb. Planned Parenthood recently opened a center in Rogers, and has said it hopes that location will be licensed to perform abortions by the end of this year.

Planned Parenthood’s strategy for opposing a Texas-style heartbeat measure in Arkansas appears to be threefold:

  1. Launching an aggressive statewide campaign to defeat any Texas-style heartbeat law in Arkansas.
  2. Communicating with more than 20,000 Arkansans about the legislation.
  3. Hosting events across the state to oppose the legislation.

Planned Parenthood’s statement indicates it has hired additional staff to carry out its agenda in Arkansas.

Planned Parenthood almost certainly faces an uphill battle when it comes to opposing pro-life legislation in Arkansas.

This year the state legislature passed more pro-life laws than any other state in America — including a law that prohibits virtually all abortions in Arkansas — despite opposition from Planned Parenthood and others. These new laws could save thousands of women and unborn children from abortion for years to come.

Public opinion polling shows Arkansans are overwhelmingly pro-life, and most believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or legal only under certain circumstances.

Arkansas’ abortion numbers have been in decline since the 1990s. In fact, as of last year the number of abortions performed annually in Arkansas remains near historic lows.

Slowly but surely Arkansans are winning the fight to end abortion.

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