Hyde and Seek: Big Pro-Life Battles + Arkansas News This Week

Current Events,

Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

Family Council Joins Letter Urging Congress, President to Stand By the Hyde Amendment: Last Friday, Family Council joined more than 70 other pro-life leaders and organizations in a letter urging President Trump and leaders in Congress to preserve the Hyde Amendment when it comes to Obamacare subsidies. Keep Reading.

Hundreds of Women from Arkansas Had Abortions in Kansas in 2024: New data shows 851 women from Arkansas had abortions in Kansas during 2024. Keep Reading.

State Department of Education Refuses to Listen to Homeschoolers: On Friday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the State Department of Education plans to move forward with proposed rules prohibiting homeschoolers from using Educational Freedom Account (EFA) funding to pay for team sports under the LEARNS Act. Keep Reading.

Educational Freedom Funding Topped $128.5M for Second Half of 2025: Arkansas invested more than $128.5 million in Educational Freedom Account funding during the second half of 2025, according to data on the state’s financial transparency website. Keep Reading.

Texarkana Implements New Rules to Address Public Drinking District Problems: News outlets report the Texarkana Board of Directors voted to place new restrictions on public drinking in the city’s “entertainment district” at its first meeting of 2026. Keep Reading.

U.S. Senator from Arkansas Gets Pro-Life Group’s Endorsement: Last week, the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Candidate Fund announced it had endorsed U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for re-election. Keep Reading.

New Study Shows Even “Casual” Marijuana Use Harms Teens: A major study from Columbia University confirms what many parents have long suspected: There is no such thing as “harmless” marijuana use for teenagers. Keep Reading.

Researchers Say People With Eating Disorders are Dying from Assisted Suicide: A recent column in The Wall Street Journal highlights how people with eating disorders are dying from assisted suicide in states and countries where the practice is legal. Keep Reading.

China Struggles to Boost Births by Taxing Contraceptives: News outlets report that China is trying to raise its birthrate by taxing contraceptives. Keep Reading.

Medical Marijuana in Oklahoma Fuels Massive Black Market: News reports in Oklahoma show marijuana legalization has created a shocking black market problem across the region. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

The 2026 March for Life is This Sunday. From Arkansas Right to Life.

Technology and Tyranny: AI, Hubris, and Chronological Snobbery. From Breakpoint.

Taxpayer Money Should Never Go to Planned Parenthood For Any Reason Ever. From Daily Citizen.

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

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Oklahoma’s Marijuana Legalization Fuels Massive Black Market Operations

Marijuana

News reports in Oklahoma show marijuana legalization has created a shocking black market problem across the region.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) revealed that law enforcement in other states have alleged 40% of America’s black market marijuana comes from Oklahoma.

The numbers are staggering. Over a twelve month period from 2023 to 2024, authorities say more than 85 million pounds of marijuana in Oklahoma went unaccounted for. That means it’s possible tens of millions of pounds of marijuana grown legally in Oklahoma may have been sold illegally on the black market in just one year.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond told reporters that criminal organizations have exploited the state’s “lax medical marijuana laws” to “flood the black market across state lines.” His Organized Crime Task Force has shut down more than 7,000 illegal operations and seized over 329,000 marijuana plants.

Contrary to popular belief, legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal marijuana across the country.

Arkansas State Police routinely confiscate illegal marijuana from Oklahoma and other states.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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

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China Tries to Boost Births by Taxing Contraceptives

China, ,

News outlets report that China is trying to raise its birthrate by taxing contraceptives.

For many years, China imposed a one-child policy on its citizens, and the country did not tax contraceptives.

However, China’s population has shrunk three years in a row, and the U.N. projects China will lose 3.2 million people this year — more than the entire population of Arkansas.

To stop the population decline, China has lifted its one-child policy, and last year Beijing announced it would offer parents up to $1,500 per child as an incentive to raise families.

Starting this month, the country will levy a 13% sales tax on contraceptives. Many experts agree that raising the price of contraceptive probably won’t have a meaningful impact on China’s birthrate, but it does underscore how serious China’s situation has become.

Most developed nations are dealing with declining birthrates — including countries like Japan and the U.S. — but not to the same degree as China.

Experts have expressed concern again and again over China’s declining population. In 2020, officials from the Chinese Communist Party said China’s fertility rate had fallen to dangerously low levels. In early 2023, China’s National Bureau of Statistics released data showing the country’s population had begun plummeting.

Without a growing population, it’s difficult for countries to maintain strong communities, a vibrant workforce, or a healthy economy. The Chinese Communist Party spent decades promoting the idea that having fewer children would be good for China, but that simply is not how society works.

Societies thrive off healthy, stable families. That’s part of the reason Family Council has spent more than 36 years promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values in Arkansas. When families succeed, everyone benefits.

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

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