The Arkansas Legislature is convening this week, and Sen. Cecile Bledsoe (R – Rogers) and Rep. Joe Cloud (R – Russellville) have filed S.B. 85 amending Arkansas’ law concerning ultrasounds before abortion.
Currently, Arkansas law requires abortionists to perform an ultrasound and offer to show the ultrasound to the mother.
S.B. 85 changes the law by requiring abortionists to show the ultrasound of the unborn baby to the pregnant woman; if the woman doesn’t want to see the ultrasound images, she can look away.
The bill also requires the abortionist to explain the ultrasound images to the pregnant woman. The bill contains exceptions for abortions performed due to medical emergencies.
Former abortionist Bernard Nathanson is credited with observing that, “Fewer women would have abortions if wombs had windows.” That’s exactly what an ultrasound image is.
Research indicates that some women are less likely to have an abortion once they see an ultrasound image of their unborn child.
That means pro-life bills like S.B. 85 can help further decrease the number of abortions in Arkansas.
A number of bills have been pre-filed ahead of the 2021 legislative session in Arkansas.
Here are a few of the bills that Family Council is watching.
Good Bills Filed
S.B. 6 (Prohibiting Abortion): This good bill by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) prohibits abortion in Arkansas, except in cases when the mother’s life is in jeopardy. Family Council fully supports this good bill. Read The Bill Here.
Bad Bills Filed
S.B. 3 (Enacting Hate Crimes Legislation): This bad bill by Sen. Jim Hendren (R – Gravette) and Rep. Fred Love (D – Little Rock) enacts hate crimes legislation by enhancing penalties for crimes committed against certain protected classes of people listed in the bill. The bill is virtually identical to H.B. 1020. Family Council has opposed hate crimes legislation for more than 20 years, and we oppose this bill as well. Read The Bill Here.
H.B. 1020 (Enacting Hate Crimes Legislation): This bad bill by Rep. Fred Love (D – Little Rock) and Sen. Jim Hendren (R – Gravette) enacts hate crimes legislation by enhancing penalties for crimes committed against certain protected classes of people listed in the bill. The bill is virtually identical to S.B. 3. Family Council has opposed hate crimes legislation for more than 20 years, and we oppose this bill as well. Read The Bill Here.
H.B. 1069 (Contraceptives): This bill by Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R – Clarksville) and Sen. Breanne Davis (R – Russellville) lets pharmacists dispense oral contraceptives to women without a prescription from a doctor. Oral contraceptives carry a number of health risks — which is why women currently need a prescription from a doctor — and they can cause the death of an unborn child by preventing the unborn child from implanting and growing inside the mother’s womb. Family Council opposes H.B. 1069. Read The Bill Here.
Other Bills We’re Watching
H.B. 1066 (Alcohol): This bill by Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R – Clarksville) would let microbrewery operators ship beer directly to private residences anywhere in the state of Arkansas or to residences in other states that allow direct shipment of alcohol. Read The Bill Here.
S.B. 32 (Alcohol): This bill by Sen. Jane English (R – North Little Rock) and Rep. Karilyn Brown (R – Sherwood) would let retail liquor permitholders — such as liquor stores — deliver alcoholic beverages to private residences in the county where the store is located. Read The Bill Here.
Members of the team from Family Council stand with AUL’s 2020 Life List recognizing Arkansas as the most pro-life state in the country.
It’s been a busy year. The coronavirus outbreak forced us to make some adjustments to how we work, but our team at Family Council met those challenges head-on. Here’s a quick rundown of just a few of our “greatest hits” from 2020.
Seeing Arkansas Named the Most Pro-Life State in America. Ten years ago we set out to make Arkansas the most pro-life state in America. By working together with others, we have done that. Americans United for Life recently released its Life List 2021 naming Arkansas the most pro-life state in the nation. Becoming the most pro-life state wasn’t easy. It took a lot of work by a lot of different people. Arkansas now has the opportunity to become a true, nationwide leader in the effort to end abortion.
Distributing 65,000 Arkansas Voter’s Guides. Since 1990 Family Council has produced Arkansas’ only statewide, nonpartisan voter’s guide. We survey the candidates on abortion, guns, education, taxes, or other issues, and we publish their responses in print and online. We also survey some of the judicial candidates, and we summarize any proposals that appear on the ballot. This year we distributed approximately 65,000 printed copies of the Arkansas Voter’s Guide for the primary and general elections, and we had thousands more people view candidate surveys and information at ArkansasVotersGuide.com. Family Council’s voter’s guides helped tens of thousands of Arkansans choose the candidates that best reflect their values. That’s something to celebrate.
Lawmakers and others gather outside the surgical abortion facility in Little Rock on April 10, 2020, shortly after the facility was ordered to stop performing elective surgical abortions due to COVID-19.
Shining the Light on Abortion Facilities Daily During the Pandemic. During the COVID-19 shutdowns last spring, our team reported almost daily from outside the abortion facilities in Little Rock. You may have seen some of the videos we streamed from the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood or Little Rock Family Planning Services. Those videos helped expose how abortionists were continuing to operate despite state health directives prohibiting elective surgical procedures—and how women were travelling to Arkansas from other states for abortions during the pandemic.
Receiving the Mary Rose Doe Award. Family Council was honored to receive the Mary Rose Doe Award on Monday, January 27, 2020, at Arkansas Right to Life’s banquet. Since 1985 Arkansas Right to Life has bestowed the award on individuals and organizations that go the extra mile in fighting for unborn children. Arkansas Right to Life President Andy Mayberry surprised Jerry and the staff by presenting Family Council with the Mary Rose Doe Award in recognition of 30 years of pro-life work in the state.
From Left: Charisse Cooksey, Luke McCoy, Jerry Cox, Doris Cox, Ken Yang, and Erin Hogan pose with the 2020 Mary Rose Doe Award.
Helping Churches Navigate COVID-19. Last spring and summer we received dozens of phone calls, emails, and questions from ministers around the state asking us for advice on navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team was in regular communication with state health officials, and we were able to explain the state’s health directives and guidelines to folks all over Arkansas. We were able to help churches find ways to meet without having to worry that they might run afoul of the Arkansas Department of Health.
Hosting Monthly Prayer Meetings. Family Council has hosted monthly prayer meetings all year long. We started the year by hosting these meetings at the Arkansas Capitol Building. After COVID hit, we moved those meetings online. These prayer meetings are an opportunity for believers to lift up our state leaders in prayer. We are very grateful that there are dedicated Arkansans who did not let the outbreak stop them from praying for those in authority. If you would like to be part of these monthly prayer meetings or if you would like to receive prayer requests from our office via email from time to time, give us a call at (501) 375-7000.
Closely Monitoring Pro-Abortion Groups. Our team has kept a watchful eye on pro-abortion groups all year long. Besides reporting from Little Rock’s abortion facilities last spring, we have also monitored Planned Parenthood’s campaign reports and job openings. We have paid close attention to lawsuits Little Rock Family Planning Services and the ACLU have filed to overturn some of Arkansas’ pro-life laws. We’ve reported every time pro-abortion groups like NARAL endorsed candidates in Arkansas. We’ve also kept close tabs on new pro-abortion groups, like Reproaction. Reproaction tries to appeal to younger women and is more aggressively pro-abortion than groups like Planned Parenthood. In May Family Council staff member Erin Hogan attended a virtual seminar Reproaction held teaching women about do-it-yourself chemical abortions at home. Earlier this year we alerted key individuals around the state about ways that these pro-abortion groups seemed to be working to make inroads on Arkansas’ college campuses. We plan to continue monitoring these groups and reporting what we learn in 2021.
Helping Stop Public Drinking in Siloam Springs. In May, Family Council helped alert our friends in Northwest Arkansas about a proposed city ordinance that would have permitted public drinking throughout much of downtown Siloam Springs. City officials heard overwhelmingly from their constituents. When it was all said and done, the city opted not to legalize public drinking. Public drinking is a scourge on the community. It raises serious concerns about drunk driving and public safety. It hurts neighborhoods and families. That’s why Family Council was pleased to do our part to keep public drinking out of downtown Siloam Springs.
Equipping Arkansans to Pass Pro-Life Resolutions. Family Council drafted model ordinances that cities and counties can use to declare themselves Pro-Life. We have distributed the language for these ordinances to supporters around the state. Our goal is to see hundreds of Pro-Life Cities and Pro-Life Counties designated all over Arkansas.
