ACLU of Arkansas Statement on Passage of Extreme 18-Week Abortion Ban

LITTLE ROCK – The American Civil Arkansas Union of Arkansas issued the following statement regarding the Arkansas General Assembly’s passage of an extreme 18-week abortion ban.

“Arkansas politicians continue to sink to new lows in their crusade to ban abortion and dictate women’s personal medical decisions,” said Rita Sklar, ACLU of Arkansas executive director. “In their zeal to deny women the right to decide when and whether to start a family, Arkansas lawmakers are trampling on the Constitution and putting the health of Arkansans at risk. This bill is dangerously extreme and similar to laws that have been blocked by courts here in Arkansas and other states. If Governor Hutchinson refuses to obey his oath to uphold the Constitution and veto this blatantly unconstitutional bill, we stand ready to challenge this law in court.”

Federal courts struck down Arkansas’ 12-week abortion ban. In Mississippi, a federal court has preliminarily enjoined a 15-week abortion ban. In 2013, the Supreme Court refused to review a decision permanently blocking Arizona’s ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy.