Arkansas Closer to Enshrining Abortion Access in State Constitution for 2024 Ballot

A proposal to enshrine access to abortion care in the Arkansas state constitution has taken a significant step forward in its bid to appear on the November 2024 ballot. The group leading the effort, Arkansans for Limited Government, announced on Friday that they had submitted over 100,000 signatures from registered voters in support of the amendment, surpassing the required number of approximately 90,700.

Unlike similar measures in other states, the Arkansas group has not received support from major national abortion rights organizations, such as Planned Parenthood. Despite this, they were able to gather the necessary signatures and meet the requirement of including signatories from at least 50 of the state’s 75 counties.

Final State to Submit Signatures

With this development, Arkansas becomes the last of nine states seeking to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions to have formally submitted the required number of signatures. The other states where the measures are officially on the ballot are Colorado, Maryland, Florida, South Dakota, Nevada, and New York. However, in Arkansas and four other states, including Arizona, Missouri, Montana, and Nebraska, further steps are needed before the measures can be certified to appear on the ballot.

The proposed amendment, known as the Arkansas Abortion Amendment, aims to safeguard abortion access in the state constitution for pregnancies up to 18 weeks after fertilization. Additionally, it seeks to protect abortion access in cases of rape and incest, fatal fetal anomalies, and when necessary to protect the pregnant woman’s life or physical health beyond the 18-week mark.

Current Abortion Restrictions in Arkansas

Currently, the majority of abortion care in Arkansas is prohibited under a 2022 state law, enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The existing law only allows for abortion care when the mother’s life is at risk. According to the Arkansas Department of Health, no abortions were reported as being performed in the state in 2023. The passage of the amendment in November would effectively reverse the 2022 law.