Secretary of State John Thurston's (R) office has disqualified petitions for an abortion rights amendment to the state's constitution due to the petitioners' failure to identify paid canvassers by name, as required by state law.
"We are so glad that the secretary of state has done his good work in protecting the interests of the people of Arkansas," responds Charisse Dean of the Family Council. "When it comes to something as serious business as changing a founding document, laws have to be followed and abided by, and we're just thankful and grateful for the secretary of state's diligence in making sure that those laws were followed."
She says abortion advocates were not the only ones who ran an aggressive campaign.
"We were part of an amazing grassroots effort here with county coordinators, church leaders, and other leaders, and there was a great stand and opposition all across the state," Dean reports. "We were able to distribute over 500,000 church bulletins and another 3,000 posters."
State Senator Ben Gilmore (R) called it "a great day for life in Arkansas."
"The Secretary of State's office officially rejected the Arkansas Abortion Amendment, and it will not appear on the ballot in November," he stated on X. "Life is the most basic God given human right and Arkansas will continue to protect the lives of our unborn children."
Kristan Hawkins of Students of Life and Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America also welcome the news.
Meanwhile, if this campaign and measure are reviewed again, Dean believes her fellow Arkansans are "prepared and willing and ready to do whatever it takes" to defeat them.
Even if the measure had made it onto the ballot, she says the Family Council is confident that the people of the state would not have voted for it, "because Arkansas is pro-life and has been the most pro-life state in the nation for the last four years."
"We're glad to be here protecting the unborn and protecting the health of women," Dean tells AFN.
