Arkansas’ Abortion Rate Cut In Half From 2001 – 2021: CDC Report

Abortion, , ,

A new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows Arkansas’ abortion rate was cut by more than half from 2001 to 2021.

The abortion rate is calculated as the number of abortions performed in a state for every 1,000 women ages 15 – 44.

It’s a way to measure how common abortion is in a state by comparing the total number of abortions to the state’s female population.

In Arkansas’, the abortion rate was 11 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 – 44 in 2001.

However, the CDC’s latest report released last week shows Arkansas’ abortion rate fell to 5.4 by 2021.

Overall, Arkansas’ abortion rate has been in decline since the 1990s, and since 2022 abortion has been prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother.

Public opinion polling shows most Arkansans do not support abortion on demand, and Arkansas’ declining abortion numbers underscore the pro-life shift that has taken place in the state over the decades.

Right now the group Arkansans for Limited Government is working to place an amendment on the ballot enshrining abortion in the state constitution.

If passed, the amendment’s language would effectively erase decades of good, pro-life laws.

For example, it would prevent Arkansas from requiring abortionists to have parental consent before performing an abortion on an underage girl. The amendment also could permit abortion in Arkansas through all nine months of pregnancy — including late term abortion and partial-birth abortion.

Now that Roe v. Wade has been reversed and abortion is generally prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, pro-lifers must continue to work to make abortion irrelevant, unthinkable, and unnecessary. Family Council remains committed to promoting the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life in Arkansas.

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

READ MORE

Amendment Filed to Enshrine Abortion in Arkansas Constitution

Abortion, , , ,

On Monday the group Arkansans  for Limited Government announced it is working to place an abortion amendment on the ballot in Arkansas in 2024.

The proposed amendment’s wording is available here.

This amendment puts the lives of women and unborn children in jeopardy.

If approved, this amendment would permanently enshrine abortion in the Arkansas Constitution.

The amendment’s language would prevent Arkansas law from requiring abortionists to have parental consent before performing an abortion on an underage girl. Parental consent laws for abortion help protect children from trafficking and exploitation. Repealing those laws puts underage girls at risk.

The amendment’s wording also could permit abortion in Arkansas through all nine months of pregnancy — including late term abortion and partial-birth abortion. Most Americans oppose these abortion procedures, but this amendment could give them constitutional protection in Arkansas.

Family Council has worked for nearly 35 years to promote and protect the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life in Arkansas. If passed, this amendment would erase nearly four decades of good laws that protect women and unborn children from abortion. We are firmly committed to stopping abortion in our state.

READ MORE

Family Council Joins Others in Court Supporting Iowa Heartbeat Law, Defending Personhood of Unborn Children

Abortion, , ,

Earlier this month Family Council joined 32 other pro-life public policy organizations defending an Iowa law before the state’s supreme court and arguing that unborn children are protected by the fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In July, Iowa’s general assembly passed a law generally prohibiting abortion if the unborn baby has a detectable heartbeat.

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit challenging the heartbeat law, and a county district court blocked the State of Iowa from enforcing it. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird appealed that lower court’s bad decision to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 8.

On November 15, Family Council joined 32 other pro-life, pro-family organizations filing an amicus brief in the case.

The brief argues that an unborn child in the mother’s womb is a “person” under the Fourteenth Amendment — which means the child is entitled to equal protection under the law.

We believe Iowa’s pro-life law is constitutional, and we trust the Iowa Supreme Court to uphold it. However, even if Iowa loses in state court, this case — and the amicus briefs filed in it — could set the stage for future pro-life victories in Iowa and elsewhere around the country. That’s something to look forward to.

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

READ MORE