Capitol Grounds Commission Recommends Space for Arkansas’ Monument to the Unborn
On Tuesday the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission agreed to recommend a location on the state capitol grounds for a monument honoring the unborn.
Act 310 of 2023 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Mary Bentley (R – Perryville) authorizes a privately funded pro-life monument on the Arkansas Capitol Grounds. The Arts and Grounds Commission, which is responsible for the property around the capitol building, has debated where the monument ought to be located. Tuesday’s decision brings the monument another step closer to completion.
The monument will commemorate the 236,243 unborn children whose lives were lost to abortion from 1973 – 2022.
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, and abortion is prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, it’s important to remember the dignity and humanity of all unborn children.
Act 310 does that by establishing this monument as “a constant reminder of our duty to protect the life of every innocent human person, no matter how young or old, or how helpless and vulnerable that person may be.”
This monument to the unborn is more than just a structure. It is a powerful testament to Arkansas’ resolve to honor and protect innocent human life at all stages of development, from conception until natural death.
Arkansas Right to Life was the lead pro-life proponent of Act 310. Family Council was proud to support their efforts.
While Arkansas is making progress to build a monument to the unborn, an effort is also underway to write abortion into the state constitution.
Arkansans for Limited Government has until July 5 to collect 90,704 valid signatures from registered voters to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the November ballot. According to public records, the group currently employs more than 100 paid petition canvassers gathering signatures for the ballot measure.
If passed, the Arkansas Abortion Amendment would write abortion into the state constitution, allowing thousands of elective abortions in Arkansas every year.
The amendment does not contain any medical licensing or health and safety standards for abortion.
The measure prevents the Arkansas Legislature from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy, and it automatically nullifies all state laws that conflict with the amendment. That jeopardizes even the most basic health and safety restrictions on abortion.
The amendment’s health exceptions would permit abortion through all nine months of pregnancy in many cases.
It also would pave the way for publicly funded abortion in Arkansas by changing Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution that currently prohibits taxpayer funded abortion in the state.
To date, multiple organizations have come out against the amendment, including:
- Arkansas Right to Life
- Family Council Action Committee
- Choose Life Arkansas
- NWA Coalition for Life
- The Arkansas Committee For Ethics Policy
- The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
- Saline Decline to Sign
- Stronger Arkansas
- Stop Abortion On Demand
- Students for Life of America
You can download a copy of the Arkansas Abortion Amendment here.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
Why Do Pro-Abortion Groups Seem Fixated on Rage?
This week Planned Parenthood Action Fund published an invitation for volunteers under the heading, “Our Rage Will Be Heard.”
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider, and the Action Fund contributes to candidates and other causes that align with Planned Parenthood’s mission.
The statement is just the latest example of pro-abortion groups encouraging people to turn to “rage.”
In May of 2022, the pro-abortion Women’s March announced that its “summer of rage is officially beginning” as many anticipated the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
After the court reversed Roe, fringe groups like Jane’s Revenge praised abortion activists who vandalized pro-life charities during the so-called “Night of Rage.”
Last year the Arkansas Abortion Support Network hosted a fundraiser letting people smash a car and other items. An invitation to the event said, “bring your rage, some enthusiasm for smashing, and a desire to fund abortion.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines “rage” as primarily “violent and uncontrolled anger;” “a fit of violent wrath;” or “violent action.”
Rage really has no place in democracy and civil discourse. Uncontrollable anger and violent wrath won’t lead to the kinds of changes anyone wants. Rage is destructive.
That belief has generally informed Family Council’s approach to defending the sanctity of human life. We oppose abortion. We agree with stopping abortion through any legal means. But we’ve never utilized the more aggressive tactics that some groups use.
Ten years ago it would have seemed ridiculous to say the pro-abortion movement thrives on “rage.” Unfortunately today it seems major pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood do exactly that.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.