Three Brief Facts About Abortion in Arkansas

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In the coming days the Arkansas Department of Health will release its annual reports regarding abortion in Arkansas.

Family Council has tracked this data for years and has compiled abortion stats going all the way back to the 1970s.

Here are three brief facts about abortion in Arkansas.

#1 Abortion in Arkansas is Near Historic Lows

Abortion peaked in Arkansas — and across the United States — in the mid-1990s.

Since then it has been on a downward trajectory.

In the past few years, abortion in Arkansas has plummeted, and currently sits at levels we haven’t seen in over 40 years.

#2 Chemical Abortion is on the Rise in Arkansas

Over the past 10 years we have seen a major uptick in chemical abortion in Arkansas.

Chemical abortions are performed using abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486

While chemical abortions have increased, we have seen the number of surgical abortions decrease.

Chemical abortions now make up about 30% of all abortions performed in Arkansas.

#3 Planned Parenthood and the Surgical Abortion Facility in Little Rock Both Perform Chemical Abortions

Planned Parenthood performs chemical abortions at its facility in Little Rock.

Planned Parenthood used to perform chemical abortions at its facility in Fayetteville; however, that facility closed nearly a year ago, and it has not reopened.

Many Arkansans may not be aware that Arkansas’ only freestanding surgical abortion facility performs both surgical and chemical abortions.

Conclusion

Arkansas is the second most pro-life state in the country, and most Arkansans believe abortion ought to be either completely illegal or legal only under certain circumstances.

Abortion in Arkansas will become largely illegal once the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision.

But the fact that chemical abortion has become increasingly popular in Arkansas even as abortion overall has declined just goes to show that we still have a lot of work left to do.

Slowly but surely, we are winning the fight to protect innocent human life in Arkansas, but there is still much to be done.

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Planned Parenthood Endorses Two Candidates in Arkansas

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On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s acting president, Alexis McGill Johnson, announced the organization is officially endorsing two candidates in Arkansas: Second Congressional District candidate Joyce Elliott and Third Congressional District candidate Celeste Williams.

In Arkansas, Planned Parenthood’s political action committee has been actively fundraising this year, and the organization already has endorsed candidates for the state legislature.

Last fall Planned Parenthood’s super PAC pledged to spend at least $45 million on the 2020 election, with four main goals:

  • Defeat President Trump
  • Flip the U.S. Senate from Republican to Democrat
  • Maintain Democratic control over the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Support liberal candidates in state races

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State Asks Judge to Dismiss Abortionists’ Lawsuit

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Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office has asked a federal court to dismiss a surgical abortion facility’s lawsuit against the state, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the state has issued health directives restricting elective surgeries — including surgical abortions.

In response to these directives, the ACLU and a surgical abortion facility in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against the state.

On Thursday, May 7, U.S. District Judge Brian Miller rejected the ACLU’s request that abortionists be allowed to continue with business as usual during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the State of Arkansas is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit completely — which would rule out the possibility of the abortion facility and the ACLU appealing their case to a higher court.

All in all, this case has been a big win for Arkansas.

U.S. District Judge Brian Miller and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals both have indicated that Arkansas’ abortion restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic are constitutional.

The rulings provide precedent that may help uphold other pro-life laws that Arkansas has enacted.

Slowly but surely we are winning the fight to protect innocent human life in Arkansas.

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