LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A local group has met the signature requirement to qualify the Arkansas Abortion Amendment for the ballot in November.
Arkansas for Limited Government stated that 53 counties reached the qualifying minimum, exceeding the state's required 50. They are working to finalize their signature count, but currently have over 100,000 signatures processed.
The Secretary of State will complete the count and check signatures against voter records to verify that each signature represents a registered Arkansas voter.
Lauren Cowles, executive director of Arkansans for Limited Government, issued a statement where she confirmed that the group delivered over 100,000 signatures.
"Today, Arkansans for Limited Government will deliver more than 100,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. By our count, we have exceeded the minimum signature threshold for both the statewide total and county totals," Cowles said in a statement on Friday. "The contents of this delivery should qualify the amendment for November’s ballot."
Cowles in the statement went on to express gratitude for those throughout the 75 counties in Arkansas who signed the petition to bring the amendment in front of voters this coming November.
"[Arkansans for Limited Government believes] that healthcare is personal and private," Cowles said in her statement. "Bodily autonomy and the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship are values that transcend party politics, economics, and religion. Healthcare decisions, including decisions about reproductive health, should be made between patients and their healthcare team.
Following the submission of the signatures, Cowles went on to describe Arkansas as "the most dangerous place in the country to be pregnant," due to the state having "the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation," according to Cowles.
"Right now, Arkansas is the most dangerous place in the country to be pregnant," she said. "Not only does Arkansas have the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, nearly half of Arkansas counties are maternity healthcare deserts, meaning they have no obstetric providers or options for delivery care. Arkansas deserves better than that."
Cowles continued in her statement, calling the collected signatures an important step towards protecting pregnant women in Arkansas, both in the present and in the future.
"We are proud of our fellow Arkansans for rejecting the state’s extreme abortion ban and taking the first, important step towards protecting pregnant women now and in the future. We celebrate our accomplishments today, but on Monday we get back to work because women’s lives are at stake. The hardest job is ahead of us, and we will not fail," Cowles said.
For a full breakdown of how each proposed initiative performed ahead of the deadline in Arkansas, you can click here.