Pro-abortion activists have started a signature campaign for an amendment that would enshrine the right to kill an unborn child in the Arkansas state constitution.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin Authenticated A third draft of the amendment was introduced on Tuesday after the bill failed twice in the past. arkansas attorney report.
The Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024 is supported by a ballot initiative group called Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG). The group needs to collect 90,704 signatures from registered voters by July 5 to put it on the November ballot. AFLG will begin its signature gathering effort Sunday at a rally at Fayetteville Town Center.
“Just yesterday we recognized what would have been our 51st anniversary. Roe vs. Wade. Today, we are one step closer to restoring the freedoms once taken from individuals. Roe vs. Wade has been overturned,” said AFLG Treasurer Jim McHugh. Said. “We will not stop until Arkansans have a voice at the polls in November.”
Abortion is prohibited in Arkansas, except in a medical emergency to save a pregnant woman's life. Even if this amendment were passed, To give permission The state would “prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion services up to 18 weeks after conception, which corresponds to approximately 20 weeks after the first day of a pregnant woman's last menstrual period.” The amendment states that in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormality, or “to protect the life of a pregnant woman or to protect a pregnant woman from disability, physical disease, or physical injury.” Abortion will also be permitted.
In his opinion, Griffin said he certified the proposed measure after clarifying the title and text of the ballot. But he cautioned the group “given the importance of the subject matter addressed and the potential complexity and far-reaching impact” of the proposed amendments.
“Any ambiguity in the bill's language could result in a successful court challenge,” Griffin wrote. “Significant changes to the law often have unintended consequences, and if they were known, it would give voters something to think about seriously.”
In a statement to arkansas attorneyJerry Cox, president of the Family Council, called the proposal “a sweeping amendment that would legalize abortion in a way that Arkansas has never seen before.”
“It enshrines abortion in the Arkansas Constitution,” Cox said. “This would eliminate virtually all of Arkansas’ pro-life laws, allowing abortion on demand without restrictions during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy.”
Griffin told the magazine that despite his pro-life beliefs, procedures must be followed when considering amendments.
“I have always been, and always will be, strongly opposed to pro-life, but the law does not allow me to consider my own personal views,” he said. “I am guided by the law and the law alone. I regularly certify proposals that I personally oppose. Conversely, I regularly reject proposals that I personally support.”
Activists in several other states are working to bring abortion amendments to a vote in 2024, following a series of state-level victories for anti-abortion advocates. Roe vs. Wade In 2022.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her at @thekat_Hamilton.
