GARLAND COUNTY, Ark. — Monday night was tense in Garland County as the quorum court considered a resolution to make it a pro-life county.
The estimated three-hour-long meeting began with a majority vote to postpone the resolution indefinitely. However, the resolution's sponsoring justice and a chanting crowd still called for public comment on the issue.
Afterward, an individual vote would confirm the original majority vote.
There were an estimated 300 people who showed up to the meeting on Monday— both pro-life and pro-choice.
Before public comment began, a procedural debate between the resolution's sponsor Dayton Myers, and the County Judge Darryl Mahoney, set a tone for a tense meeting.
At one point the judge ruled that Meyer was out of order due to his outbursts, to which Myers responded, "Good, rule me out of order, you're out of God's orders."
Both pro-life and pro-choice activists spoke at the meeting.
Pro-life advocates shared their support for the resolution, many with strong religious beliefs on the court’s debate.
One of the pro-life advocates waved a bible while speaking, and another constituent commented, "We are blessed if we keep this amendment and we are cursed if we don't. But what concerns me most is if we don't take a vote and know what [Justices] stand for and what we elected."
The resolution failed last year, but now Meyer has been trying again, pushing for a roll call vote during an election year.
"I think if you see Republicans vote against it tonight, you're gonna see a shake-up in the Republican party politics right before the primaries here in Garland County," said Myers.
Some of his constituents, however, opposed the resolution.
"Mr. Myers, I may live in your district, sir, but you do not represent me," continuing, "Reproductive rights and bodily autonomy are equal rights," they expressed.
Also outside the meeting, Arkansas for Limited Government was canvassing to put abortion on the state ballot.
"I don't think [county government] should be a partisan position... but we have a couple of extreme Republican [Justice of the Peace's] that want to make statements that are not indicative of all of Garland County," said Michelle Gates Roberts, a Representative for the Democratic Party of Garland County.
This resolution wouldn't have been legally binding, but instead just an official opinion of the county.
The county judge explained that while this resolution was postponed indefinitely, an amended version could still be introduced later on down the line.
Over the past few years, a handful of other counties in Arkansas have already passed similar pro-life resolutions.