States across the country have been using a series of laws and court rulings in the past decade to criminalize how women react to pregnancy loss. Legal experts say the fear and suspicion following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that allowed states to ban abortion may be making things … Read more
A Guardian investigation into the ballot’s demise tells a more complicated story than just a bureaucratic screw-up, revealing a confluence of rightwing actors working in parallel to ensure it never got to voters: a reclusive donor who has helped shape the anti-abortion movement across the US; the inner circle of Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, … Read more
The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the Secretary of State’s assertion that supporters did not submit the correct documents at the right time. Read more at 19th News
The Arkansas Supreme Court sided with state officials in a ruling on Thursday that will keep an abortion rights question off the ballot in November over what is, essentially, a paperwork issue. The court upheld state officials’ decision to reject certain signatures that were collected by paid petitioners. The officials had found that the organizers … Read more
In nearly every state where the question of abortion rights could be put to a popular vote this November, conservatives are deploying several strategies — from suing to have signatures thrown out in Montana and South Dakota to refusing to count signatures in Arkansas — as they attempt to block ballot initiatives that would restore … Read more
“Our compliance with the law is clear and well-documented,” Lauren Cowles, executive director of Arkansans for Limited Government, said in a statement. “The secretary of state’s refusal to count valid signatures is an affront to democracy and an attempt to undermine the will of the people.” Read more at The Guardian
Arkansans for Limited Government announced Friday that it collected the signatures of more than 100,000 registered voters — more than the approximately 90,700 it needed before the deadline that day — to move forward with getting its proposal on the general election ballot. In his letter, Thurston said the lack of required paperwork affected 14,143 … Read more
Arkansas abortion rights groups collect enough signatures to advance ballot measure Passage of the amendment in November would effectively undo the 2022 law. That outcome, however, faces an uphill climb. Abortion opponents in the ruby red state have fought the effort to advance the proposed amendment at every turn. Read more at NBC News Nebraska … Read more
A ballot initiative effort in a deep-red state highlights the safety risks around the country for a group of organizers who are mostly women. Read more at 19th News
Texas and Arkansas have similar laws. It’s impossible to know how often women are unable to leave marriages due to pregnancy. Some people may not even try to file for divorce because of the law; as in Destonee’s case, lawyers might simply tell them to come back when they’re not pregnant. Read more at National … Read more
