Lee County Another Step Closer to Being 100% Pro-Life
Lee County in east Arkansas is one step closer to being the state’s first county to become 100% Pro-Life.
In 2021, the Lee County Quorum Court declared itself a Pro-Life County, and since then nearly every incorporated city and town in the county has passed Pro-Life resolutions as well.
In June, the City of Rondo became the latest community in Lee County to pass a resolution affirming that it is Pro-Life.
This really is something worth celebrating.
In 2021 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 392 affirming that cities and counties can designate themselves as Pro-Life. Two years later lawmakers passed Act 699 by Sen. Joshua Bryant (R – Rogers) and Rep. Kendon Underwood (R – Cave Springs) expanding the law and letting other political subdivisions of the state pass Pro-Life resolutions as well.
To date, about half of all Arkansans live in a Pro-Life City or Pro-Life County.
The pro-life landscape in Arkansas is very different today from 2021, when lawmakers passed Act 392.
Today, Arkansas law generally prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother, and it is a crime for an abortionist to mail abortion drugs like RU-486 into the state.
But under President Biden, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration loosened its safety protocols to allow mail-order abortion drugs. Pro-abortion states have also enacted “shield laws” protecting abortionists who mail abortion drugs into states like Arkansas.
To make matters worse, the U.S. Department of Justice has opposed federal court cases from pro-lifers who want to stop mail-order abortion.
Americans do not support mail-order abortion drugs. Polling data shows seven in ten likely voters support the in-person doctor’s visit requirement for abortion pills.
In June, Family Council launched a grassroots effort in Arkansas calling on the Trump administration to end former President Joe Biden’s dangerous mail-order abortion policies. Pro-lifers can contact their congressmen by visiting abortioncrimebymail.com.
Pro-lifers must continue standing against abortion. We can do that through public policy work — like contacting elected leaders in Congress and elsewhere about abortion drugs. We can also do that by building a culture of life at the local level — such as by passing resolutions affirming our communities are Pro-Life.
Family Council has created a free toolkit to help pro-lifers who are interested in passing a pro-life resolution in their communities. You can be a part of this growing movement and help your community pass a pro-life resolution!
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers. This article has been updated to reflect that fact that at least one incorporated community in Lee County has not yet passed a pro-life resolution.
Arkansas State Police Make Major Drug Seizure, Arrest in Pope County
On July 22, Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troopers seized marijuana from out of state during a routine traffic stop on I-40 in Pope County.
Troopers found 24 pounds of “individually packaged illegal marijuana,” a handgun, and 120 marijuana plants. The driver reportedly told law enforcement he was traveling from Tulsa to Tennessee.
Nationwide, many states have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and federal regulators have moved to ease federal restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, law enforcement continues to battle marijuana grown or sold illegally on the black market.
In some cases, legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels, causing marijuana use to skyrocket.
For example, California seized more than 63,000 pounds of illegal marijuana from April to June of this year.
The U.S. Department of Justice has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from marijuana grown in states like California.
Illegal marijuana operations often are believed to be tied to labor trafficking and violent crime — contributing to what some have called “modern day slavery on American soil.” They also often use illegal pesticides that poison users and harm the environment.
Arkansas sits at the heart of major drug trafficking corridors, and as a result, the Arkansas State Police routinely intercept marijuana from other states that appears to be intended for the black market.
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.