Organizers behind Arkansas abortion amendment submit petition signatures

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The group pushing for an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution enshrining abortion rights said they believe they have submitted enough signatures to put the measure on the November 2024 ballot.

Arkansans for Limited Government announced in a Friday release that the group has delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures from 54 counties for the ballot initiative to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.

The proposed amendment aims to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution and would stop any laws from being passed to restrict abortion in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or to protect the life or well-being of the mother within the first 18 weeks after conception.

“We are grateful for and inspired by Arkansans, across all 75 counties, who signed the petition to put this amendment before voters in November,” the group wrote in the release. “We believe that healthcare is personal and private. Bodily autonomy and the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship are values that transcend party politics, economics, and religion.”

Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox released a statement concerning the proposed abortion amendment, as well as the ballot initiative aimed at expanding medical marijuana access.

"If either of these amendments is certified for the November ballot, our organization will mount a legal challenge to have it removed from the ballot, or we will assist other organizations who step forward to challenge these measures in court," Cox said in the statement.

The signature goal to get constitutional amendments on the ballot in Arkansas is 90,704 signatures from around the state, with signatures coming from at least 50 counties.

The deadline to submit signatures is 5 p.m. on Friday

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