Here are Two Ways to Help Oppose Chemical Abortion in Arkansas

Abortion, , , ,

Family Council is encouraging everyone to take two simple steps to help oppose chemical abortion drugs in Arkansas.

The first is to send a message asking Congress to support the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act.

The second is to ask the federal government to stop letting abortionists deliver abortion drugs through the mail.

Here is a little more information:

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. As a result, abortion is prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, and it is against the law to mail abortion drugs into the state.

But under President Biden, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration adopted rules that let abortionists send abortion drugs like mifepristone through the mail.

During that time, pro-abortion states also enacted “shield laws” to prevent abortionists from being held accountable when they mail abortion drugs into states like Arkansas.

To make matters worse, the U.S. Department of Justice has also opposed federal lawsuits from pro-lifers who want to stop mail-order abortion in their states.

All of this has created a dangerous industry of abortion-by-mail both in Arkansas and across the nation.

The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act by Senator Josh Hawley (MO) and Representative Diana Harshbarger (TN) would withdraw the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. This would remove the abortion drug from the market nationwide.

The bill would also provide a private right of action letting women sue the drug’s manufacturers if they are harmed by the abortion drug.

You can ask your congressmen and senators to co-sponsor the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act by clicking here.

Passing and enforcing the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act could take several months. That’s why we are also asking Arkansans to contact their leaders in Washington, D.C., and urge them to reverse the federal government’s policy that permits mail-order abortion.

Pro-lifers can ask Congress and the Trump Administration to reverse the FDA’s mail-order abortion policy by visiting abortioncrimebymail.com today.

Abortion drugs like mifepristone are dangerous. These drugs hurt women, and they kill unborn children.

Research from the Ethics and Public Policy Center shows 11% of women experience serious health complications from abortion pills — including sepsis, infection, and life-threatening hemorrhage.

These drugs should not be available at all — much less through the mail without an in-person visit with a doctor.

Our federal government needs to recognize how serious this issue is and take immediate steps to protect Americans from these abortion drugs. That is why we hope all Arkansans will contact their leaders today. Ask them to support the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act and reverse the FDA’s mail-order abortion policy.

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

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Colorado Says No to “Bet Now, Pay Later.” Arkansas Should Too.

Gambling,

As of last week, Colorado gamblers can no longer use credit cards to fund sports betting apps, and they are limited to six deposits per day. The new rules come from a bipartisan bill passed in May after lawmakers grew alarmed by rising addiction rates — especially among young men and boys.

We have written repeatedly about the explosion in gambling over the past few years. Studies show more than half of men ages 18 – 49 now have an active sportsbook account online. The Denver Post reports Colorado gamblers bet a staggering $6.4 billion on sports last year alone. But this kind of gambling is taking a serious toll on everyday families.

A recent report from the Ethics and Public Policy Center found legal sports betting is linked to increases in personal bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies, writing:

This rise in bankruptcy rates translates to roughly 30,000 more personal bankruptcies in the United States every year, and the households that experienced most adverse effects were the ones with existing financial constraints when legalization occurred.

Bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal bankruptcies — especially among young men in their 20s and 30s.

Chad Van Horn, a bankruptcy attorney in Florida, recently told Business Insider that roughly 15% of his clients now carry gambling-related debt — and that it piles up faster than any other type of debt he sees.

He described clients going from zero to $25,000 in credit card debt in a matter of months. “The debt builds incredibly fast because people aren’t gambling with cash; they’re gambling with borrowed money,” Van Horn said.

Ed Boltz, a bankruptcy attorney in North Carolina, said the same thing, noting that, “It has been astonishing, the speed in which people can fall into this.”

Researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that states with legal mobile sports betting have seen credit delinquency rates spike — especially among borrowers under 40.

The list goes on.

These financial problems affect families and even whole communities.

Prohibiting sportsbooks from accepting credit cards could help protect gamblers from running up excessive gambling debts.

Family Council has said before that restrictions like this one are something Arkansas could do to address predatory gambling.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it is important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families the way other states have done. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

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

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New Lawsuit Filed to Block Assisted Suicide in Illinois

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , ,

Last week, a group of pro-life advocates filed a federal lawsuit to block Illinois’ assisted suicide law from taking effect.

On December 12, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation letting healthcare providers help terminally ill patients end their lives. The law is slated to take effect next month, but a new lawsuit is asking the federal courts to block the law.

The National Catholic Reporter writes:

The Thomas More Society — on behalf of Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Lutheran Care Center in Altamont and four Illinois doctors — filed a lawsuit Aug. 11 against the state’s secretary of finance and professional regulation and the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The Catholic-run public interest law firm is seeking a federal block on the “End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act” before it takes effect Sept. 12. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division states the law violates religious and free speech rights of the First and 14th amendments.

In July, a coalition of disability-rights groups also sued against the so-called Illinois End of Life Options Act, alleging the law discriminates against disabled patients, undermines due process, and weakens longstanding suicide-prevention protections.

Experience has shown again and again that assisted-suicide laws don’t help people who are sick and dying.

Oregon first allowed physician-assisted suicide in 1998, and official state reports have shown for years that the reasons people give most often for wanting to end their lives are loss of autonomy, decreasing ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable, and loss of dignity.

Most patients do not express concerns about pain.

In Oregon, terminally ill patients routinely receive lethal prescriptions without being referred for psychological or psychiatric evaluation.

Last year, less than 1% of patients approved for physician-assisted suicide in Oregon were referred for a psychiatric evaluation. That’s a serious problem.

Many of these patients are lonely and feel like they are losing control over their lives because of their illness. They need counseling and support — not a prescription for deadly drugs.

A physician in Quebec recently made headlines for actually suggesting the Canadian Medical Aid in Dying program be broadened to include babies. Others have lobbied for Canada to expand assisted suicide to include people suffering solely from mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.

In parts of the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal, insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted-suicide drugs.

Peer-reviewed research from the U.S. has found people with eating disorders have been wrongly approved for assisted suicide — even in states where assisted suicide is supposed to be limited to patients with terminal illnesses.

And we have heard stories about patients in Europe and Canada being denied care or actively euthanized thanks to bad government policies.

That’s why Family Council has worked hard to block assisted suicide legislation in Arkansas.

In 2019 and 2021, Arkansas lawmakers wisely rejected very bad end-of-life laws that were flawed and fundamentally disrespected the right to life. Family Council worked closely with our friends in the legislature to stop these proposals.

Being pro-life means believing innocent human life is sacred from conception until natural death. Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted-suicide are murder, and they violate the sanctity of human life.

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

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