These Laws Helped Make Arkansas Number-One in Religious Liberty

Religious Freedom, ,

This summer, Arkansas was named number-one in the nation when it comes to protecting religious liberty.

The legal experts at First Liberty analyzed religious freedom laws in all 50 states, and they concluded Arkansas’ laws are the very best. But reaching the top spot did not happen overnight. It took a lot of work from a lot of different people over several years.

Something that separates Arkansas from many other states is the way state law protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 462 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Brandt Smith (R – Jonesboro) protecting rights of conscience for doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and other healthcare workers in Arkansas.

Before 2021, healthcare workers had very few conscience protections under Arkansas law. Act 462 helped broaden and strengthen those protections.

In 2025, lawmakers passed Act 970 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R — Benton) and Rep. Lee Johnson (R — Greenwood) strengthening the healthcare workers’ rights of conscience law Arkansas passed in 2021.

Among other things, Act 970 added whistleblower protections for healthcare workers, and it helped protect all medical professionals from having their rights of conscience violated.

You can watch video highlights of Act 970’s passage below.

Last year Arkansas also enacted Act 677 of 2025 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch). The law ensures that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

Time and again, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been targeted by public officials and dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

Act 677 helps prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

You can watch video of Rep. Lundstrum presenting Act 677 in the Arkansas House of Representatives below.

A lot of people deserve credit for making Arkansas into a leader on religious liberty, and Family Council has been happy to support those good efforts.

Religious liberty is not just the right to believe in something. It’s the right to live according to your faith. Arkansas’ number-one ranking shows the state has some of the best laws in the nation when it comes to protecting religious liberty.

We look forward to working with lawmakers to help Arkansas keep that number-one ranking in the 2027 legislative session.

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

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U.S. Senate Needs to Clarify that Sports Bill Won’t Preempt Good Law in Arkansas

Legislation, , ,

The following is a press release from our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom.

Thursday, Aug 6, 2026

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom CEO, President, and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner regarding the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668), a bill currently in the U.S. Senate that could be voted on this week:

“For nearly a decade, Alliance Defending Freedom has worked with courageous female athletes, state and national lawmakers, and allies across the country to protect fairness, privacy, and safety in women’s sports. That work led to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order last January reaffirming biological truth and recognizing that men don’t belong in women’s sports. And it culminated with the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Little v. Hecox and State of West Virginia v. B.P.J., upholding Idaho’s and West Virginia’s laws ensuring men cannot compete in women’s sports. The Supreme Court affirmed that states can protect women’s sports—a massive win for the 27 states that have passed laws doing just that.

“The Protect College Sports Act, which addresses issues such as Name, Image, and Likeness agreements and student athlete transfers, creates an unnecessary risk of undermining the Supreme Court win, President Trump’s Executive Order, and many other hard-earned victories for women and girls. The bill sets general eligibility rules for college athletes and then preempts states from maintaining their own eligibility rules, which could include laws saying men are ineligible for women’s teams. For weeks, ADF has warned Congress that activists could misuse the bill’s existing preemption language to argue that states’ women’s sports laws can no longer be enforced.

“Every senator who cares about women’s equal opportunity should act immediately to clarify that this bill does not preempt states’ laws protecting women’s sports. There is a simple fix available: Ensure the preemption of state laws is narrow. We are living in a moment where lawyers can’t even define what a woman is. There’s no room for ambiguity. Let’s not undo the hard-fought gains or pass permanent legislation that could jeopardize these victories. We are thankful for President Trump’s legacy of protecting women’s sports to date and we don’t want to see it undone.

“It’s time to keep girls on the field, not sideline them again.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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Arkansas Gave $1.7M+ to Pregnancy Resource Centers in FY 2026

Abortion, , , ,

The State of Arkansas awarded more than $1.7 million to pregnancy resource centers during the 2026 fiscal year, according to the State’s transparency website.

Since 2022, Arkansas law has generally prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother, and public health data shows that thousands of children are alive today thanks to the state’s many pro-life laws. But women with unplanned pregnancies still need help. That’s why Arkansas has appropriated millions of dollars to charities that support women and families with unplanned pregnancies.

Arkansas’ financial records show the State awarded a total of $1,735,585 in grants to more than three dozen different pregnancy help organizations before the 2026 fiscal year ended on June 30.

Last spring the Arkansas Legislature voted to increase its grant funding for pregnancy help organizations to $3.5 million for the 2027 fiscal year. That means even more grant money could go to organizations that are saving lives in Arkansas between now and next summer.

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Family Council outlined a three-part plan for eliminating abortion:

  • Encourage the Enforcement of Existing Pro-Life Laws
  • Work With Members of the General Assembly to Pass Any Additional Laws Necessary to End Abortion
  • Expand Our Efforts to Assist Pregnancy Help Organizations

Providing publicly funded grants for pregnancy resource centers is a major part of that plan, and we deeply appreciate the Arkansas Legislature and the governor for their commitment to supporting these good organizations.

Arkansas isn’t the only one awarding grants to pro-life charities. A growing number of states provide pregnancy help organizations with public funding, because they give women real options besides abortion.

Below is a list of pregnancy help organizations and the amount of grant funding each received from the State of Arkansas during the 2026 fiscal year.

OrganizationDoing Business AsGrant Funding
ARKANSAS BAPTIST CHILDRENS HOMES AND FAMARKANSAS BAPTIST CHILDREN & FAMILY$111,824.85
NEW BEGINNINGS PREGNANCY CENTER$96,014.25
OPTIONS A PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER INCOPTIONS$77,151.00
HOPEPLACE NEWPORT$76,026.00
ST JOSEPHS HELPERS OF PULASKI COUNTYARKANSAS PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER$75,000.00
CHANGEPOINT PREGNANCY CARE AND PARENTING$72,343.59
CRADLE THE MATERNITY SUPPORT CENTER OF CKATHLEEN BLOSSOM$72,137.00
INFORMED CHOICES WOMENS CENTER OF THE OZ$70,197.75
ARKANSAS PREGNANCY NETWORK$67,618.02
PLUM PEACE LOVE UNDERSTANDING MERCYPLUM FOUNDATION$67,000.00
CABOT CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTEROPTIONS PREGNANCY CENTER$56,638.50
CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER OF CENTRAL ARKANCARING HEARTS PREGNANCY CENTER$56,500.00
OPEN ARMS PREGNANCY CENTER INC$52,418.00
ACTS OF HOPE INCACTS OF HOPE, PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER$51,610.00
MADISON COUNTY HEALTH COALITION INC$51,587.50
HEART TO HEART PREGNANCY SUPPORT CENTER$45,000.00
CHOICES PREGNANCY RESOURCE CLINIC INC$39,863.38
HOPEPLACE – FORDYCE$38,250.00
COMPASSION MINISTRIES LTD$37,500.00
HOPE OF THE DELTA CENTER$37,500.00
PREGNANCY HELP CENTERPREGNANCY HELP CLINIC$34,900.00
ST FRANCIS HOUSE NWA INCCOMMUNITY CLINIC$34,705.50
PATHWAY RESOURCE CENTER$34,596.00
LIFE CHOICES INC$34,398.00
ALPHA PREGNANCY PROBLEM CENTER OF BATESVTHE ALPHA CENTER INC$34,368.49
CRITTENDEN COUNTY CARES$33,900.00
LIFES CHOICE PREGNANCY CARE CENTER$33,270.00
SOUTH ARKANSAS CARING PREGNANCY CENTERHANNAH PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER$32,750.00
FORT SMITH CHRISTIAN FAMILY SERVICES INC1ST CHOICE PREGNANCY MEDICAL CENTER$27,783.50
ST BERNARDS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION$27,500.00
DISCERNMENT LLC$25,000.00
NEW BEGINNINGS PREGNANCY HELP CENTER OF$25,000.00
BAPTIST HEALTH FOUNDATION$24,812.50
PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER FOR SOUTHWEST$23,865.00
HOPEPLACE MONTICELLO$17,660.00
CENTRAL BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONBREATH OF LIFE PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER$15,630.00
CONWAY REGIONAL HEALTH FOUNDATION INC$13,500.00
HOPES FIRST CHOICE PREGNANCY RESOURCE CE$9,766.50
Total$1,735,585.33

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

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