On Tuesday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a piece of anti-abortion legislation into law.
The new law will virtually outlaw abortions under any circumstance unless it is required to save the life of the mother and doesn't provide any protections for women impregnated via rape. According to the AP, "Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year."
“I will sign SB6 because of overwhelming legislative support and my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions,” said Gov. Hutchinson in a statement issued on Tuesday. “SB6 is in contradiction of binding precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court, but it is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law. I would have preferred the legislation to include the exceptions for rape and incest, which has been my consistent view, and such exceptions would increase the chances for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
The decision is drawing pushback despite Hutchinson's suggestion of overwhelming support. “Once again, Arkansas politicians have made it their business to dictate people’s personal medical decisions, violate their personal autonomy, and block them from care,” said Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director. “This extreme abortion ban is cruel and unconstitutional and it will have accomplished nothing but cause stress for patients, while ignoring the pressing challenges Arkansans face. Abortion is legal in all 50 states, including Arkansas, and we’ll fight as long as it takes to keep it that way. Governor Hutchinson: we’ll see you in court.”
Source: apnews.com
