
Judge Temporarily Blocks Arkansas Ban on Most Abortions
The judge who blocked the pro-life bill said the law is ‘categorically unconstitutional.’
The judge who blocked the pro-life bill said the law is ‘categorically unconstitutional.’
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group, praised the bill’s passage as a protective measure for children in the state.
In addition to banning the procedures for minors, the bill also blocked referrals and public funding for gender-transitioning procedures.
New Bills on Conscience Rights, Women in Sports, and Abortion Restrictions
The bill states that “A physician or other healthcare professional shall not provide gender transition procedures to any individual under eighteen (18) years of age."
‘Whatever one thinks of the legality of abortion or irreversible sterilizing surgeries on minors, most Americans just don’t believe doctors should be forced to participate in them.’
The bill would apply conscience protections to medical workers, hospitals, and insurance providers.
State attorney general: ‘Arkansas has taken a strong stance to protect the unborn from inhumane treatment.’
In his decision on Thursday, Judge Miller said that the pandemic is a serious threat, noting that at the time of the opinion more than 70,000 people had died in the U.S. from the virus including more than 3,500 people in Arkansas.
Several other states, including Alabama, Alaska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, have attempted to classify elective abortions as non-essential procedures during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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