Read the full proposed amendment below, as well as the Resolution. Browse the list of all the events in Saline County Arkansas at www.mysaline.com/events.
I know the attention span of my readers, and this article has a lot going on, so I’m going to show you the ingredients of this article before I show you the soup.
The players:
1. Arkansans for Limited Government – the ones attempting to pass an amendment to the state’s law on abortion
2. Attorney General Tim Griffin – the one who certified the proposed amendment
3. Proposed Amendment – The words that will be on the ballot if enough signatures are gathered on the petition; and the words that will become law if it makes it to the ballot and enough people vote for it.
4. Saline County Public Works & Safety Committee – the ones who are recommending the Resolution (their votes in this meeting are not binding)
5. Saline County Quorum Court – the ones who will be voting on the Resolution against
6. Saline County Justices of the Peace (JPs) – the 13 individual members of the Committee; and also the individual members of the Quorum Court
7. Proposed Resolution – if passed, it is the public opinion of the JPs/Quorum Court; it is not a law and therefore not binding.
Ok, now let’s read the story and then see both full documents below:
Saline County officials met Monday night with several agenda items, but one resolution about abortion stood out. During the Public Works & Safety Committee meeting, three Justices of the Peace proposed a Resolution to “Oppose the Proposed Abortion Amendment.”
On January 24, 2024, Attorney General Tim Griffin certified the “Arkansas Abortion Amendment 2024,” a proposed amendment by a group called Arkansans for Limited Government. The group has a deadline of July 5, 2024 to turn in 90,704 signatures. If this happens, it will be on the ballot in November.
Read the full proposed amendment below, as well as the Resolution.
The committee members voted to recommend the resolution to the Quorum Court. It was a unanimous vote. Although one JP, Justin Rue, was not present at the meeting, he stated that he made it known before the meeting that he would be in support of the Resolution. The Saline County Quorum Court meeting – where they will actually vote on the resolution – will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Read the full proposed amendment below, as well as the Resolution.
1 of 2 – Attorney General Tim Griffin certified the following Arkansas Abortion Amendment 2024:
Popular Name
Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024
Ballot Title
An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to change Arkansas law regarding abortion;
current Arkansas law prohibits abortion except to save the life of the pregnant female in a medical emergency, and the current Arkansas Constitution does not restrict the State of Arkansas’s authority to regulate abortion services to protect the health and safety of the pregnant female or for other purposes;
this amendment changes Arkansas law by amending the Arkansas Constitution to provide that the government of the State of Arkansas, its officers, or its political subdivisions shall not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion services
(1) in cases of rape,
(2) in cases of incest,
(3) in the event of a fatal fetal anomaly, or
(4) when, in a physician’s good-faith medical judgment, abortion services are needed to protect a pregnant female’s life or to protect a pregnant female from a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury;
to provide that the government of the State of Arkansas, its officers, or its political subdivisions shall not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion services within 18 weeks of fertilization, which equates to approximately 20 weeks since the first day of the pregnant female’s last menstrual period;
to define a “fatal fetal anomaly” as a medical condition diagnosed before birth that, in a physician’s good-faith medical judgment, will lead to fetal or neonatal death and for which life-saving medical intervention would be futile;
to define “physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury” to include, without limitation,
(1) a life-endangering physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself and
(2) any situation in which continuation of a pregnancy will create a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function of a pregnant female;
to define “major bodily function” to include, without limitation,
(1) functions of the immune system,
(2) normal cell growth,
(3) digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions, and
(4) operation of an individual organ within a body system;
to define “fertilization” as the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum;
to define “abortion services” as medical interventions provided to a pregnant female to end the medical condition of pregnancy but not to include accidental or unintentional injury or death of an embryo or fetus before birth;
to provide that abortions services assisted by a physician may be provided in a hospital, emergency department, a physician’s office or clinic, a surgery center, a free-standing birthing center, or other licensed healthcare facility;
to provide that section 2 of Amendment 68 of the Arkansas Constitution is amended to add the phrase “and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas,” and would read as follows: “Section 2: Public Policy: The policy of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth, to the extent permitted by the Federal Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas”;
to declare that all provisions of the constitution, statutes, and common law of the State of Arkansas are null and void to the extent they conflict with any provision of this amendment;
to provide that this amendment shall be self-executing;
and to provide that any provision of this amendment that is held to be invalid shall be severable from the remaining provisions of this amendment.
Amendment Text
1. The government of the State of Arkansas, its officers, or its political subdivisions shall not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion services (A) in cases of rape, (B) in cases of incest, (C) in the event of a fatal fetal anomaly, or (D) when, in a physician’s good-faith medical judgment, abortion services are needed to protect a pregnant female’s life or to protect a pregnant female from a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury.
2. The government of the State of Arkansas, its officers, or its political subdivisions shall not prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion services within 18 weeks of fertilization.
3. Definitions:
A. “Fatal fetal anomaly” means a medical condition diagnosed before birth that, in the physician’s good-faith medical judgment, will lead to fetal or neonatal death for which life-saving medical intervention would be futile
B. “Physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury” includes, without limitation, a life-endangering physical disorder, physical illness or physical injury caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself and any situation in which continuation of a pregnancy will create a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function of a pregnant female.
(i) “Major bodily function” includes, without limitation, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, and digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions; and operation of an individual organ within a body system.
C. “Fertilization” means the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum.
D. “Abortion services” are medical interventions provided to pregnant females to end the medical condition of pregnancy but do not include accidental or unintentional injury or death of an embryo or fetus prior to birth. Abortion services assisted by a physician may be provided in a hospital, emergency department, physician’s office or clinic, surgery center, free-standing birthing center, or other licensed healthcare facility.
4. Amendment 68 of the Arkansas Constitution shall be amended as follows: “Section 2: Public Policy: The policy of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth, to the extent permitted by the Federal Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas.”
5. All provisions of the Constitution, statutes, and common law of this State to the extent inconsistent or in conflict with any provision of this Amendment are expressly declared null and void.
6. This Amendment shall be self-executing. Any provision of this Amendment held invalid shall be severable from the remaining portions of this Amendment.
2 of 2 – JPs Rick Bellinger (R) Dist 6, Jim Whitley (R) Dist 10 and Josh Curtis (R) Dist 7 were the sponsors of the proposed Resolution that reads:
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-___
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE QUORUM COURT OF SALINE COUNTY, STATE OF ARKANSAS, A RESOLUTION TO BE ENTITLED:
“A RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE PROPOSED ARKANSAS ABORTION AMENDMENT TO AMENDMENT 68 OF THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POLICY OF SALINE COUNTY, ARKANSAS AS SET FORTH IN SALINE COUNTY RESOLUTION 2021-8.”
WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence states that all people are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution states the policy of the State of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth; and
WHEREAS, On September 20, 2021, the Quorum Court of Saline County passed Resolution No. 2021-8, affirming the commitment of Saline County, Arkansas to protect the unalienable right to life of every person and declaring Saline County, Arkansas to be a pro-life county; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Arkansas Abortion Amendment to Amendment 68 of the Arkansas Constitution threatens the legality of Arkansas’s current restrictions on abortion and conflicts with Saline County’s policy as stated in Resolution No. 2021-8.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE QUORUM COURT OF COUNTY OF SALINE, STATE OF ARKANSAS THAT:
Article 1. In accordance with its pro-life policy and status as a Pro-Life County as established in Resolution No. 2021-8, the Saline County Quorum Court stands in vehement opposition to the proposed Arkansas Abortion Amendment
DATE:
APRIL 15, 2024
APPROVED:
MATT BRUMLEY, SALINE COUNTY JUDGE
ATTEST:
DOUG CURTIS, SALINE COUNTY CLERK
SPONSORS:
RICK BELLINGER, J.P. DISTRICT 6,
JIM WHITLEY, J.P. DISTRICT 10,
JOSH CURTIS, J.P. DISTRICT 7
Again, the Saline County Quorum Court meeting is Monday, April 15, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Watch MySaline.com for updates.
See the list of all the events in Saline County at www.mysaline.com/events.