LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (LifeSiteNews) — The attorney general of Arkansas rejected the wording of a radical pro-abortion ballot initiative pushed by a far-left activist group trying to undo the state’s near-total abortion ban.
In an opinion on Tuesday, Arkansas Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin said that he could not approve the popular name and ballot title for a proposed constitutional “Arkansas Reproductive Healthcare Amendment” because of internal contradictions and “ambiguities.”
“I must reject your popular name and ballot title due to ambiguities in the text of your proposed measure that prevent me from ensuring that the ballot title you have submitted, or any ballot title I would substitute, is not misleading,” Griffin wrote.
“Your proposed popular name is tinged with partisan coloring and misleading because your proposal is solely related to abortion, not ‘reproductive healthcare’ generally,” he charged.
Griffin also said that the proposal’s supporters “made no attempt” to describe the amendment’s effect on existing state law, including Amendment 68 of the Arkansas Constitution. That amendment, approved by voters in 1988, says that it is the policy of Arkansas “to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth.”
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Proposed amendment would legalize abortion up to birth
The so-called Arkansas Reproductive Healthcare Amendment, one of the most extreme pro-abortion ballot measures proposed since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, stipulates that the Arkansas government “shall not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict access to abortion within 18 weeks of conception.” It would also legalize unrestricted abortion up to birth in cases of rape, incest, a “fatal fetal anomaly,” or “when abortion is needed to protect the pregnant female’s life or health.”
Under the amendment, backed by a group called “Arkansans for Limited Government,” Arkansas would be prohibited from restricting abortion except “for the purpose of protecting the health of an individual seeking access” to abortion, but not to protect an unborn child, even at the point of birth. Any restrictions, moreover, must not “infringe on the individual’s decision making.”
And the proposal states that the government “shall not penalize” anyone who seeks or receives “abortion services” or helps someone obtain them, effectively making it impossible to restrict abortion at all, as Griffin pointed out.
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Arkansas currently bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy with exceptions only when “necessary to preserve the life of a pregnant woman” suffering from a physical condition. The state has reported virtually no abortions since its near-total ban took effect in June 2022 following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, down from more than 3,000 in 2021.
In addition to that law, the amendment would likely invalidate parental consent requirements and restrictions on partial-birth abortion, among other protections, pro-lifers have warned.
“If approved, this amendment would permanently enshrine abortion in the Arkansas Constitution and effectively erase decades of good, pro-life laws,” Family Council president Jerry Cox said.
The proposal also does not define “health,” which could be broadly interpreted as applying to nearly any mental health issue. Griffin noted in his opinion that he rejected the amendment’s title partly due to ambiguity around the word “health” and the word “access.” “Because the text of your proposed measure is unclear on these matters, I cannot ensure your ballot title is a fair summary,” he said.
Arkansans for Limited Government told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that it “will begin work immediately” to revise the amendment. If Griffin approves an updated proposal, activists will need to submit nearly 91,000 signatures from voters in at least 50 counties by July 5 to get the amendment placed on the 2024 ballot.
Far-left group pushing abortion amendment backs transgender mutilation, gun control
While Arkansans for Limited Government presents itself as a non-ideological group of “concerned citizens,” it was formed by For AR People, a far-left activist group based in Little Rock.
For AR People adamantly opposes restrictions on transgender surgeries and drugs for children, critical race theory in K-12 schools, and males competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams and using female bathrooms.
The group also supports decriminalizing marijuana, expanding welfare, and implementing “comprehensive sex education” in schools to “reduce stigma” and “normalize discussion” about sexuality among children. “For AR People has labeled people opposed to mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic right-wing extremists,” according to InfluenceWatch.
Ironically, while Arkansans for Limited Government promotes abortion using conservative-sounding rhetoric about limiting “government overreach,” For AR People opposes religious liberty protections and tax cuts and pushes for aggressive gun control.
Arkansas has long been one of the most pro-life states in the country, and polling shows that a majority of Arkansas voters support current or stricter abortion regulations, though support for looser laws has grown since the implementation of the state’s ban.
READ: Pro-lifers warn left-wing activists are lying to promote radical abortion amendment in South Dakota
In recent months, abortion activists have won a string of victories with ballot measures, including in California, Vermont, Michigan, and Ohio, where voters approved pro-abortion constitutional amendments like the one proposed in Arkansas.
Activists are attempting to get similar amendments on the ballot in several other states in 2024, including South Dakota, Nebraska, Florida, Missouri, and Arizona.
However, most states currently enforcing strong pro-life laws do not allow for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments.
READ: Judge strikes down proposed pro-abortion amendment in Nevada