Tag: Pro-Life Cities

Pro-Life Efforts in Arkansas Hit a Milestone

Back in 2021, I received a call from someone in eastern Arkansas who felt called to do something impactful in her community.

Ronni Schwantz, someone who had been pro-life her entire life, was on the other end of the phone asking questions on how to pass a pro-life resolution in Lee County, Arkansas. She was ready to put her pro-life stance into action. The time was right because the legislature had just passed a law affirming the right of municipalities to adopt resolutions declaring themselves to be pro-life. In response to that law, Family Council put together a comprehensive toolkit to help guide individuals and communities in understanding how to pass pro-life resolutions. Ronni took the toolkit and initiated a push to affirm Lee County and all its cities and towns as pro-life. 

What started as an introductory conversation over the phone turned into years’ worth of effort to affirm Lee County and many other counties and cities as pro-life. Ronni partnered with local pastors, mayors, and elected officials. In 2021, Marianna became the second pro-life city in Arkansas, the first to pass a resolution after the 2021 law passed. Lee County soon followed, and the quorum court passed a pro-life resolution on October 26, 2021.

In the meantime, Ronni not only championed the passage of pro-life resolutions, but she also worked to bring a Safe Haven Baby box to St. Francis County and successfully ran for office to become a Justice of the Peace. Once she started, no setback was going to stop her.

Five years later, Ronni called me once again. On August 11, 2026, the final city in Lee County, Haynes, passed a pro-life resolution. This made Lee County the first county in Arkansas – and I would dare say the nation – to be 100% pro-life. This milestone was a testament to the goodness of God and the faithful laboring of people like Ronni Schwantz.

Pro-life resolutions are an incredible way for local pro-lifers to promote and espouse a culture of life. The annual ranking by Americans United for Life indicates Arkansas’ pro-life stance along with the twenty-five counties and seventeen cities and towns who have passed pro-life resolutions since 2021. Arkansas has seen many attacks on the sanctity of life, but because of the efforts of countless pro-life Arkansans like Ronni, there is great hope for a future that honors the sanctity of every life.

Erin Hogan has worked with Family Council since January of 2019, where she serves as Director of Government Relations.

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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.

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Building a Culture of Life One Resolution at a Time

In 2021, Arkansas passed a law affirming that municipalities may adopt resolutions declaring themselves to be pro-life. The legislature updated the law in 2023 not only to acknowledge that municipalities may pass a pro-life resolution, but also counties, school districts, political subdivisions, and any other publicly governed entity like a fire district. To date, twenty three counties and fifteen municipalities have passed resolutions declaring themselves to be pro-life. This has been an excellent way to stand for life and affirm Arkansas’ rank as the most pro-life state in the nation. 

Some may inquire why these resolutions are necessary while others may ask what good they do. After all, a resolution is not legally binding, is not enforceable, and does not require anyone to do anything. But here are other questions to ask: Why shouldn’t they be passed? Isn’t messaging a huge part of changing the culture? 

Passing pro-life resolutions puts a stake in the ground by issuing a bold statement in support of life from local governments that reflects the convictions of thousands of pro-life Arkansans. For decades, pro-lifers have worked to defend the sanctity of life through advocacy, public policy, personal outreach, and compassionate support for women facing crisis pregnancies. One of the biggest goals of the pro-life movement is to win hearts and minds for the truth that life is valuable and worth protecting. As communities across Arkansas declare their pro-life stance, our state will continue to lead our nation in reducing the demand for abortion and in respecting the disabled and the elderly. A resolution follows the excellent laws that the state legislature has passed in Arkansas, and it also gives legislators backup and support from their district.

Though Arkansas is the most pro-life state in the nation, America still has many pro-abortion states. Passing pro-life resolutions in Arkansas may encourage other states to have their elected officials do the same.

If you have a passion for the cause of life and are looking for a way to spread awareness, please consider a pro-life resolution in your community. Contact your local government officials to begin the process. Help your local school district become the first to pass a pro-life resolution in the state! You can always reach out to our office and we would be happy to help provide guidance and connections in your pro-life efforts. 
Even though abortion is no longer legal in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, it does not mean we should halt all efforts to protect life. Passing a pro-life resolution is a practical and unique way to make the case for the sanctity of life.

Family Council has created a free toolkit to assist anyone who is interested in securing passage of a pro-life resolution in Arkansas. Anyone who wants to begin efforts for the passage of a resolution should find this toolkit helpful. Be a part of this growing movement and help your community pass a pro-life resolution!

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