Current:Home > NewsArkansas abortion ban may be scaled back, if group can collect enough signatures-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Arkansas abortion ban may be scaled back, if group can collect enough signatures
View Date:2024-12-24 00:28:38
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ attorney general on Tuesday approved the wording of a proposed ballot measure that would scale back the state’s abortion ban, clearing the way for supporters to begin gathering enough signatures to qualify for the November election.
Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin certified the proposal, which would prohibit the state from banning abortion within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. The proposal includes exemptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies and to protect the mother’s life. It would also exempt abortions performed to protect the mother from a physical disorder, physical illness or physical injury.
Arkansas banned nearly all abortions under a law that took effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. That ban only exempts abortions to protect the mother’s life in a medical emergency.
Starting on Sunday in the northwest part of the state, Arkansans for Limited Government said it will start gathering signatures. The group must submit at least 90,704 valid signatures from registered voters — which is 6% of the votes cast in the 2022 governor’s election — to qualify for the November ballot.
“Today, we are one step closer to restoring the freedom that was taken from individuals when Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Jim McHugh, the group’s treasurer, said in a statement. “We won’t stop until Arkansans can use their voice at the ballot box in November.”
In addition to the statewide requirement, the group will also have to submit a minimum number of signatures from 50 of Arkansas’ 75 counties.
Griffin had rejected a previous version of the proposed measure and said he couldn’t allow his opposition to abortion to be a factor.
“I am and have always been strongly pro-life, but the law does not allow me to consider my own personal views. I am guided by the law and the law alone,” Griffin said in a statement.
Abortion opponents criticized the proposal and said it would hamper the state’s ability to regulate the procedure by enshrining it in the state’s constitution.
“This is a radical amendment legalizing abortion in a way Arkansas has never seen before,” Jerry Cox, president of the Family Council, a conservative group that has pushed for abortion restrictions over the years.
Measures to protect access already have spots on this year’s ballot in Maryland and New York. Legislative efforts or petition drives are underway in a variety of other states. Voters in every state with an abortion-related ballot measure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, effectively making abortion access a state-by-state question, have favored the side supported by abortion rights supporters.
veryGood! (496)
Related
- 'Climate change is real': New York parks employee killed as historic drought fuels blazes
- Xandra Pohl Fuels Danny Amendola Dating Rumors at Dancing With the Stars Taping
- New York man hit by stray police bullet needed cranial surgery, cousin says
- 2-year-old fatally struck by car walked onto highway after parents put her to bed
- FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
- The Secret Service again faces scrutiny after another gunman targets Trump
- Justice Department sues over Baltimore bridge collapse and seeks $100M in cleanup costs
- Georgia prosecutors drop all 15 counts of money laundering against 3 ‘Cop City’ activists
- About Charles Hanover
- Who's that baby hippo on your timeline? Meet the wet, chubby 'lifestyle icon' captivating the internet
Ranking
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Dancing With the Stars' Gleb Savchenko Shares Message to Artem Chigvintsev Amid Divorce
- Did You Know Earth Is Set to Have Another Moon in Its Orbit? Here's What That Means
- Father of Colorado supermarket gunman thought he could be possessed by an evil spirit
- Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve, gets engaged to girlfriend Amanda Dubin
- How can I resolve a hostile email exchange before it escalates? Ask HR
- Shohei Ohtani hits HR No. 48, but Los Angeles Dodgers fall to Miami Marlins
- Dancing With the Stars' Jenn Tran Shares How She's Leaning on Jonathan Johnson After Breakup
Recommendation
-
Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
-
Mother and grandparents indicted on murder charge in death of emaciated West Virginia girl
-
For 'Agatha All Along' star Kathryn Hahn, having her own Marvel show is 'a fever dream'
-
Anna Delvey's 'lackluster' 'Dancing With the Stars' debut gets icy reception from peeved viewers
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul referee handled one of YouTuber's biggest fights
-
RHOSLC Alum Monica Garcia Returning to TV in Villainous New Role
-
Amazon announces dates for its October Prime Day sales
-
Edwin Moses documentary ’13 Steps’ shows how clearing the hurdles was the easy part for a track icon