Group Promotes DIY Abortions in Arkansas

Abortion, , ,

Despite Roe v. Wade being overturned and Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from performing abortions except to save the life of the mother, the Arkansas Abortion Support Network’s website offers information on “self-managed” (i.e. do-it-yourself) abortions via abortion-inducing drugs.

The website states,

Self Managed Abortion (SMA) is an important component of the abortion access landscape. For those who prefer to manage their healthcare outside of the traditional clinic setting, or who are unable to access clinical abortion, there are options and information about managing your own abortion with pills at home.

The website goes on to list different ways to learn more about obtaining abortion-inducing drugs online.

In recent months, outlets like Plan C and groups like ReproAction have ramped up their efforts to tell women how to buy and use abortion-inducing drugs. However, it is important to point out that is illegal to mail or deliver abortion drugs in Arkansas.

In 2021 the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 562 Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) and Sen. Blake Johnson (R – Corning).

This good law made important updates Arkansas’ restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486.

Among other things, Act 562 prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered “via courier, delivery, or mail service” in Arkansas.

Abortion-inducing drugs take the life of an unborn child. They also carry significant health risks for women — including risk of sepsis and death.

That is part of the reason why — prior to the Dobbs ruling last summer — Arkansas law required them to be administered by a physician following a physical examination.

Delivering abortion drugs by mail violates state law, and it puts women and unborn children at risk. There simply is no good reason to promote DIY abortions in Arkansas.

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

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Marijuana Legalization Tied to Increased Alcohol Consumption

Marijuana

A recent study published in peer-reviewed journal Jama Health Forum found that marijuana legalization may contribute to increased alcohol use.

Research conducted from 2010 – 2019 examined how recreational marijuana laws affected alcohol use by 4.2 million adults in the U.S.

Overall, the study found “recreational cannabis laws were associated with a 0.9 percentage point increase in any alcohol use among the population.” Increased alcohol use was most pronounced among adults ages 18-24, who were 3.7% more likely to report alcohol use.

These findings are significant because many marijuana supporters claim that marijuana is no more harmful than alcohol.

Even if that were true, this study indicates that legalizing marijuana may lead to increased alcohol use.

In other words, legalization does not encourage people to use marijuana instead of alcohol. If states legalize marijuana, people may simply use more marijuana and more alcohol, both.

It’s important to point out that increased marijuana use raises safety concerns of its own.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the CDC report that after alcohol, marijuana is the substance most often associated with impaired driving.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Washington doubled after the state legalized marijuana.

A 2020 study published in JAMA Network Open found that more than 1 in 8 teen drivers reported recently driving after using marijuana, and teens were more than twice as likely to drive after using marijuana than they were to drink and drive.

In Colorado traffic fatalities where the driver tested positive for marijuana have increased 138% since the state legalized marijuana in 2013.

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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