Tag: Arkansas

Arkansas Governor Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban Into Law

Newsmax – March 9, 2021

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year.

The Republican governor had expressed reservations about the bill, which only allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated by rape or incest. Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year.

The bans are being pushed by Republicans who want to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Conservatives believe the court is more open to striking down the decision following former President Donald Trump’s three appointments to the court.

Hutchinson has signed several major abortion restrictions into law since taking office in 2015, but he had voiced concerns that this bill directly challenges Roe and the lack of rape and incest exceptions.

The legislation won’t take effect until 90 days after the majority-Republican Legislature adjourns this year’s session. That means it can’t be enforced until this summer at the earliest. Abortion rights supporters said they plan to challenge the ban in court before then.

https://www.newsmax.com

Ark. Lawmakers File Bill to Outlaw Abortion in State, Except to Save Life of Mother

– November 20, 2020

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Two lawmakers in Arkansas have filed a bill that would outlaw abortion in the state, with the exception of the life of the mother.

“A person shall not purposely perform or attempt to perform an abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency,” reads Senate Bill 6, filed on Wednesday by Senator Jason Rapert, R-Conway, and Rep. Mary Bentley, R–Perryville.

Those who violate the law would be subject to a $100K fine, 10 years in prison, or both. The abortive mother would not face any penalty.

The legislation states that the Supreme Court is ripe for an overturn of Roe v. Wade and declares that the court committed a crime against humanity in 1973, much like when it ruled in the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sanford that African Americans were property rather than U.S. citizens.

“It is time for the United States Supreme Court to redress and correct the grave injustice and the crime against humanity which is being perpetuated by their decisions in Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey,” the measure reads. “The State of Arkansas urgently pleads with the United States Supreme Court to do the right thing, as they did in one of their greatest cases, Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned a fifty-eight-year-old precedent of the United States …”

Arkansas Family Council has backed the measure, stating that it is time to outlaw abortion rather than just talk about it.

“Many people have been saying for almost fifty years that abortion should be illegal. The time has come for us to make it so,” remarked President Jerry Cox in a statement. “S.B. 6 will give the U.S. Supreme Court the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade. Family Council fully supports the passage of this good law. This is an opportunity for Arkansas to be a real leader in the effort to end abortion in America.”

He said that the organization has a network of approximately 10K individuals and churches throughout Arkansas, and Cox believes many of those will “want to do their part to secure [the bill’s] passage.”

https://christiannews.net

Satanists Pitch Abortion as a Satanic ‘Ritual’ to Bypass Laws

Ricky Scaparo – October 1, 2020

(ETH) – The Satanic Temple based in Salem, Massachusetts just announced this week that it has sued an advertising company because it refused to display some billboards promoting a ritual offered by the organization to help people bypass abortion rules in some states.

TST has sued Lamar Advertising in Arkansas state court according to a report from CBN News, accusing the Louisiana-based company of religious discrimination.  The organization claims that Lamar refused to display eight billboards in Arkansas and Indiana promoting what the group is calling its “religious abortion ritual.” The group describes the ritual as a “sacramental act that confirms the right of bodily autonomy.”

The group claims that by performing the ritual, people can claim a religious exemption from mandatory waiting periods, counseling, ultrasounds, and other measures that some states require before an abortion can be performed. According to the report, The group claims that it submitted five designs to Lamar to be displayed near pro-life pregnancy centers.

In one of the images, a bowl of cake batter is shown with the text, “not a cake,” next to an image of a sperm and egg with the text “not a baby.” It’s accompanied by text saying, “Our religious abortion ritual averts many state restrictions.” Lamar reportedly rejected the billboards from the group stating that their content was “misleading and offensive,” according to the suit.

This latest report follows a recent story that was also first distributed by CBN News in August, where TST announced that it was raffling a free abortion to promote the organization’s Satanic abortion ritual while arguing that its members’ religious rights are exempt from any state laws or any regulations that might block access to abortion services during the first trimester.

This is because the organization claims that those who practice the Satanic abortion ritual are automatically exempt from being subjected to waiting periods, mandatory counseling, forced viewing of sonograms, and reading materials as required in many states.

https://endtimeheadlines.org