Arkansas AG office rejects revision for abortion amendment ballot language

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Organizers looking to get an initiative focused on abortion access in Arkansas on the November 2024 ballot have seen their latest language revision again rejected by the attorney general’s office.

A letter sent Thursday by Attorney General Tim Griffin and prepared by Deputy AG Ryan Owsley stated the proposed ballot title and language submitted by the group For AR People in mid-December addressed several issues from an earlier draft.

The letter went on to claim that the latest revision, which specifies that the government would not block abortions that endanger the mother’s life or physical health, is misleading since the definition of “physical health” provided in the ballot indicated the presence of disorders, illnesses or injuries caused by pregnancy.

The attorney general said that would appear to be the opposite of the common definition of “physical health” and suggested that the organizers meant for the language to reflect the absence of pregnancy disorders, illnesses or injuries instead.

Griffin said this confusion was the reason for the rejection but noted that the group could “redesign” the ballot language to be resubmitted.

The original ballot language was submitted by For AR People in November of 2023 and rejected by the attorney general’s office in the same month.

KARK 4 News has reached out to both the AG’s office and For AR People for comment on this story. A spokesperson said the attorney general’s office would let the legal opinion speak for itself.

In a statement from Arkansans for Limited Government, which sponsored the bill along with For AR People, organizers said they were pleased that the attorney general “largely agrees with the proposed changes” from the original submission and that the groups would be working on a third draft to be promptly submitted.

from KARK https://ift.tt/4DaBIhM