House Committee Discusses Ways to Fight Back Against Illegal Abortion Drugs

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Above: Rep. Wayne Long and Family Council staff member Erin Hogan discuss pro-life bill H.B. 1678 in the House Judiciary Committee.

Last week the House Judiciary Committee discussed a good bill that would help address illegal abortion drugs in Arkansas.

In Arkansas, abortion is generally prohibited except to save the life of the mother. It is also against the law to deliver abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486 into the state.

However, pro-life states like Arkansas are struggling to stop abortionists in other states from trafficking illegal abortion drugs across state lines.

NPR reported last year that legislators in some pro-abortion states have enacted “shield laws” to protect abortionists who ship abortion drugs across state lines. The shield laws give abortionists immunity from civil or criminal liability and prevent them from being extradited to the state where the abortion drugs were sent. That makes it very difficult for authorities in Arkansas to hold abortionists in other states accountable for breaking the law.

This year Rep. Wayne Long (R — Bradford) filed H.B. 1678 to strengthen Arkansas’ Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act that prevents abortion drugs from being delivered or administered illegally in Arkansas.

H.B. 1678 would increase the penalty for selling or prescribing illegal abortion drugs, and it would make it easier to take an abortionist to court for violating the Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act.

All of this would provide additional options for enforcing Arkansas’ pro-life laws.

The Arkansas Legislature is expected to adjourn soon, and lawmakers are running out of time to hear and discuss all of the bills at the Capitol right now. However, House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Carol Dalby (R — Texarkana) made sure that Rep. Long had an opportunity to present H.B. 1678 to the committee last week.

On April 3, the House Judiciary Committee met to discuss H.B. 1678 in committee. Rep. Long explained the bill to the committee members and took the time to answer questions about H.B. 1678. Several points were raised about the different ways Arkansas might enforce its good, pro-life laws. After about 20 minutes of discussion, Rep. Long opted to pull H.B. 1678 down so he could work on it some more. Pulling the bill down gives Rep. Long an opportunity to improve the bill and present it again at a later date.

Family Council deeply appreciates Rep. Dalby making sure H.B. 1678 received a fair hearing in the House Judiciary Committee last week, and we appreciate Rep. Long’s willingness to work with the committee members on this important issue.

Abortion drugs like RU-486 hurt women and kill unborn children. We simply can’t let abortionists in states like New York or California violate the pro-life laws that our legislators have passed.

Rep. Long, Rep. Dalby, and the House Judiciary Committee are giving this issue the attention it deserves, and Family Council is pleased to get to work alongside them to stop abortion drugs in Arkansas.

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

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Senate Committee Passes Good Religious Freedom Measure

Religious Freedom,

On Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a good bill to protect religious freedom in Arkansas.

H.B. 1615 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Elm Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R — Branch) would ensure that religious organizations and religious individuals are not penalized for living out their deeply held religious convictions.

This good bill is especially important for people who have religious convictions about biological sex and marriage.

Over the years, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, florist shops, and others have been dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions. Nobody should be forced to choose between their religious convictions and their livelihood, and nobody should be punished for obeying their conscience.

H.B. 1615 will help prevent the government from burdening the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.

The bill passed in the Arkansas House of Representatives last week. It now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for a final vote.

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

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Teaching Students About Unborn Children Would Be Cost-Free to State of Arkansas: Report

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An official report published on Friday found that teaching public school students about fetal growth and development won’t cost the state any additional money.

S.B. 450 is a good bill by Sen. Breanne Davis (R — Russellville) and Rep. Kendra Moore (R — Lincoln) that lets public school students see a recording of a high-definition ultrasound video as part of human fetal growth and development education courses.

The bill also contains provisions letting students learn important facts about how unborn children develop in the womb.

The Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 450 last week. However, the bill could not be presented to the House Education Committee before state officials reviewed what it would cost to implement S.B. 450. Friday’s fiscal impact statement showed S.B. 450 will not cost the state a dime.

This year, lawmakers have proposed multiple laws that would let public school students see ultrasound videos of unborn children and learn about fetal development in the womb.

H.B. 1180 by Rep. Mary Bentley (R — Perryville) and Sen. Clint Penzo (R — Springdale) ensures public schools show students a high-definition ultrasound video that is at least three minutes long as part of sex-education and human growth and development education courses. The bill also ensures students see a video like Live Action’s computer-animated “Meet Baby Olivia” video that teaches about human development from conception to birth.

And H.B. 1946 — which is also by Rep. Bentley and Sen. Penzo — requires public schools to provide human growth and development education in grades 6 – 12 every school year. Under this bill, the courses must include a three-minute high-definition ultrasound video and a high-quality, computer animated video depicting the process of fertilization and every stage of fetal development.

As we have said before, it’s good to see lawmakers taking a strong interest in teaching public school students about unborn children.

Ultrasound technology provides what some people call a “window into the womb.” Good bills like H.B. 1180, S.B. 450, and H.B. 1946 help students understand that unborn children are living human beings.

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

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