Planned Parenthood Reports No Political Activity in Arkansas for 2024

Abortion, , , ,

Planned Parenthood conducted no political campaigning in Arkansas last year, according to reports filed with the Secretary of State last Thursday.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortionist. Last year the organization endorsed two candidates running for the Arkansas House of Representatives. However, the abortion giant reported no political activity in Arkansas beyond that.

Planned Parenthood has a history of campaigning for candidates in Arkansas who share its values.

In 2020 Planned Parenthood Federation announced it would spend at least $45 million working to unseat pro-life lawmakers and elect candidates who support abortion. As part of that plan, the group used its political action committee (PAC) to support candidates for state and federal office in Arkansas.

However, since then, Planned Parenthood has been quiet in Arkansas. Right now the group’s PAC has a little less than $11,600 at its disposal for the next election cycle.

Planned Parenthood also has been looking for a lobbyist who will represent its interest at the Arkansas Legislature.

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

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Declares January 22 ‘Day of Tears’ in Arkansas

Abortion, , , , ,

Last week Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a proclamation designating January 22, 2025, as the “Day of Tears.”

In 2021 the Arkansas General Assembly passed H.C.R. 1007 recognizing January 22 — the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Roe v. Wade abortion decision — as The Day of Tears in Arkansas and encouraging Arkansans to lower their flags to half-staff every year on January 22.

Even though Roe v. Wade has been overturned and abortion is prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, it is good to set aside time to reflect on how abortion took the lives of women and unborn children for so many decades — and how many lives it still takes in America today.

Gov. Sanders’ proclamation says:

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS COME – GREETINGS:

WHEREAS: Arkansas and its government acknowledge that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;

WHEREAS: On January 22,1973, the majority of the members of the United States Supreme Court wrongly ruled in its Roe v. Wade decision that abortion was a right secured by the United States Constitution;

WHEREAS: Before the United States Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, Arkansas had already enacted laws protecting women and unborn children from abortion; 

WHEREAS: From January 22, 1973, to June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade prevented Arkansas from protecting women and unborn children from abortion;

WHEREAS: In Act 310 of 2023 the 94th General Assembly estimated that during that time at least two hundred thirty-six thousand, two hundred forty-three (236,243) elective abortions occurred in this State, jeopardizing the health and safety of pregnant women and depriving these unborn children of their respective rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and

WHEREAS: The Ninety-Third General Assembly resolved in H.C.R. 1007 of 2021 that January 22 should be recognized in perpetuity as the “Day of Tears” in Arkansas and encouraged Arkansans to lower their flags to half-staff “to mourn the innocent unborn children who have lost their lives to abortion.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, do hereby proclaim January 22, 2025, as 

“THE DAY OF TEARS IN ARKANSAS”

You can download a copy of the proclamation here.

Family Council is deeply grateful to Gov. Sanders and the general assembly for recognizing January 22 as the Day of Tears in Arkansas, and we urge all of our friends to take time this month to remember the lives lost to abortion.

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Recapping Week 1 at the Arkansas Legislature

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The Arkansas Legislature is wrapping up its first week of the 2025 session.

Family Council has been active at the capitol all week. Below is a brief overview of some of the bills our team is watching.

Good Bills Filed

H.B. 1139 (Religious Liberty): This good bill by Rep. Brit McKenzie (R — Rogers) and Sen. Joshua Bryant (R — Rogers) would strengthen Arkansas’ law concerning public school “released time.” The bill clarifies that public schools must excuse students from school, if the students’ parents request it, to receive religious instruction off-campus. Read The Bill Here.

H.R. 1006 (Marriage): This good resolution by Rep. David Ray (R — Maumelle) recognizes February 7-14 as “National Marriage Week” in Arkansas. The measure notes how marriage is the foundation of strong families and societies and that healthy marriages improve people’s emotional, physical, and financial well-being. Read The Resolution Here.

H.B. 1162 (Good Friday): This good bill by Rep. Matt Duffield (R — Russellville) would establish Good Friday as an official state holiday in Arkansas. Some school districts in Arkansas already close in honor of Good Friday. This bill would ensure Arkansas’ public school students, teachers, and state employees are able to observe and celebrate Good Friday with their churches and their families. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1142 (Bioethics): This good bill by Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) and Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) would promote ethical fertility treatments such as restorative reproductive medicine in Arkansas. The bill also protects healthcare providers who have conscientious objections to unethical in vitro fertilization (IVF) and similar procedures. Read The Bill Here.

S.B. 49 (Used Car Tax): This good bill by Sen. Justin Boyd (R — Fort Smith) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) would eliminate the sales tax on used cars sold for less than $10,000. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1082 (Internet Privacy): This good bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) generally prevents websites and similar platforms from collecting, using, or sharing personal data of users aged 16 or younger without parental or individual consent. It also addresses targeted advertising based on children’s personal data. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1083 (Internet Privacy): This good bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) requires platforms to adopt safety measures concerning data collection, harmful content, and advertising. The bill would require platforms to automatically default to the most protective privacy settings for minors, and it would require them to give parents tools to manage privacy settings, monitor usage, and restrict purchases for their children online. Read The Bill Here.

Bad Bills Filed

H.B. 1011 (Abortion): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal virtually all of Arkansas’ pro-life laws, and it would legalize abortion throughout the state. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1013 (Bioethics): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D – Little Rock) governs fertility treatments in Arkansas. The bill would let fertility labs in Arkansas create, freeze, store, and kill human embryos as part of unethical in vitro fertilization—or IVF—practices. Human beings are not lab material. This bad bill fails to respect every unborn child’s right to life. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1014 (Bioethics): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would require the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to pay for unethical IVF practices. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1020 (School Choice): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal the 2023 LEARNS Act’s education freedom account program that lets students use public funds to pay for an education at a private school or at home. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1028 (Libraries): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would repeal Arkansas’ laws that protect children from harmful sexual material. It also would let libraries lend or share obscene material, and it requires public libraries to have “a written policy prohibiting the practice of banning books or other materials because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” in order to receive public funding. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1031 (Sex Education): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would make it possible for the Arkansas Department of Education to implement Planned Parenthood-style sex education as part of larger changes to public school health curriculum. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1032 (LGBT): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would prevent healthcare professionals from helping people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. The way the bill is written, H.B. 1032 would let counselors, doctors, and other healthcare professionals encourage people to be LGBT, but healthcare professionals would not be able to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or accept their biological sex. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1033 (Red Flag Law): This bad bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would create a “red flag” law in Arkansas making it easier for authorities to confiscate firearms from citizens that the government deem a danger to themselves or others. Read The Bill Here.

Other Bills We are Watching

H.B. 1018 (Family and Medical Leave): This bill by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) would create an income tax credit for employers who provide paid family and medical leave, such as maternity leave, to employees. Family Council has no position on this bill. Read The Bill Here.

H.B. 1044 (Raffles): This bill by Rep. R. J. Hawk (R — Bryant) and Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R — Little Rock) amends Arkansas’ charitable raffles and bingo laws. The bill would let colleges and universities conduct raffles in-person or online during sporting events. Schools would be able to sell raffle tickets themselves or use a nonprofit charity affiliated with the school to conduct the raffle. The bill contains a provision preventing casinos from operating or administering a raffle on a school’s behalf. Schools could use raffle proceeds to benefit school athletic programs — including purchasing and maintaining athletic facilities or providing financial aid, scholarships, stipends, and other compensation to student-athletes. Family Council has no position on this bill. Read The Bill Here.

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