Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill on Tuesday banning almost all abortions in the state. This sweeping measure is intended to force the US Supreme Court to uphold its landmark Roe v. Check calf again. Andrew Demillo / AP Hide caption
Toggle labeling
Andrew Demillo / AP
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed a bill on Tuesday banning almost all abortions in the state. This sweeping measure is intended to force the US Supreme Court to uphold its landmark Roe v. Check calf again.
Andrew Demillo / AP
Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country on Tuesday. A move hoped by proponents’ hope will force the US Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 ruling to sanction the trial.
Under Senate Act 6Abortion would only be permitted in cases where there is a need to save life or maintain the health of the fetus or mother. The law doesn’t allow exceptions in situations of rape or incest – a line that activists and lawmakers against abortion rights have supported in the past.
Performing or attempting to have an abortion is considered an unclassified crime under the measure. Anyone convicted under the law can face a fine of up to $ 100,000 or a prison term.
Proponents of the measure expect the law to be challenged by abortion rights activists. The future is uncertain as similar attempts to restrict access to abortion services in Ohio, Georgia and Alabama over the past two years have failed after federal courts threw local laws down.
But that doesn’t matter, according to Hutchinson. He said Tuesday the goal of the legislation is to bring the fight over abortion to the Supreme Court.
“SB6 conflicts with binding precedent set by the US Supreme Court, but it is the intent of the legislature to enable the Supreme Court to overturn current case law,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “I would have preferred the legislation to include the rape and incest exemptions, which I consistently believed, and such exemptions would increase the chances of a US Supreme Court review.”
Republican lawmakers across the country were encouraged by last year’s Supreme Court confirmation from Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Texas and Tennessee lawmakers have also introduced new abortion restrictions, believing a conservative majority in the state’s highest court will support Roe v. Wade will knock down.
But abortion lawyers are also keen on a court battle.
Holly Dickson, the executive director of the Arkansas ACLU said“Abortion is legal in all 50 states, including Arkansas, and we will fight until it stays that way. Governor Hutchinson: See you in court.”
