Lawmakers send governor a near-total abortion ban [View all]

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation banning nearly all abortions, sending the bill to a Republican governor who has expressed reservations about the move.

The majority-Republican House voted 75-18 for the bill, which bans all abortions except those to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. The bill, which passed the Senate last month, does not include any exceptions for rape or incest.

Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where outright abortion bans have been proposed this year, an effort by conservative Republicans to force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized the procedure nationwide.

"It's time for this decision to be overturned in the Supreme Court," Republican Rep. Mary Bentley, a sponsor of the measure, told House members.

Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2021/mar/04/lawmakers-send-governor-near-total-abortion-ban/862226/