House Committee Advances Pro-Life Bill Addressing Chemical Abortions

Abortion, , , ,
Rep. Sonia Barker and Family Council staff member Ken Yang present H.B. 1402 to the House Public Health Committee.

On Thursday afternoon the Arkansas House Public Health Committee passed H.B. 1402 on a voice vote.

This good bill by Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) and Sen. Blake Johnson (R – Corning) updates Arkansas’ restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486.

It outlines requirements that abortionists must follow in administering abortion-inducing drugs, and it prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas.

The bill also updates current law to ensure doctors who perform drug-induced abortions are credentialed to handle abortion complications and can transfer the woman to a hospital if she experiences complications.

We expect the Biden administration to take steps in the coming months to promote RU-486 abortion drugs. Legislation like H.B. 1402 will help curtail drug-induced abortion in Arkansas.

H.B. 1402 is a really good bill. It now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

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Conscience Protection Bill Has Only One Step Left to Go

Rights of Conscience,
From Left: Rep. Brandt Smith, Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Stephanie Nichols, and Family Council staff member Luke McCoy gather following passage of S.B. 289.

On Thursday afternoon the House Public Health Committee passed S.B. 289, the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, by by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Brandt Smith (R – Jonesboro).

The bill has only one final step — passing the entire Arkansas House of Representatives — before going to the senate for concurrence in amendments and then the governor’s desk.

S.B. 289 protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience in Arkansas.

Current conscience protections in state law are narrowly focused and protect only a limited number of people.

S.B. 289 helps broaden these protections for healthcare workers.

The bill passed the Arkansas Senate, but it previously failed to pass in the House Public Health Committee.

Thursday’s vote clears the way for S.B. 289 to head to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

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No-Fault Divorce Legislation Filed

Marriage,

On Thursday Rep. Ashley Hudson (D – Little Rock), Rep. Andrew Collins (D – Little Rock), and Sen. Greg Leding (D – Fayetteville) filed H.B. 1697.

This is a bad bill permitting no-fault divorce in Arkansas.

Under current law, couples in Arkansas can divorces in cases such as infidelity, abuse, following a lengthy separation, and other circumstances.

H.B. 1697 would permit divorce due to irreconcilable differences, discord, or conflict of personalities regardless of if the husband or wife is at fault.

Arkansas already has a high divorce rate. We don’t need to pass laws making it even easier to get a divorce.

Instead of passing laws helping people end their marriages, what if we took steps to encourage couples to work through their differences? Wouldn’t policies like that do more to help families than no-fault divorce legislation?

Read The Bill Here.

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