An extreme pro-abortion rights ballot initiative in Arkansas was disqualified this week.
On Wednesday, the Arkansas secretary of state rejected the effort put forward by pro-abortion activists to enshrine the right to kill your unborn baby into state law.
Last week, these activists claimed that they garnered over 101,000 signatures in support of the effort. This was more than the required amount.
Secretary of State John Thurston said that the group failed to submit a sworn statement both identifying paid canvassers by name and confirming that these canvassers were properly trained on collecting signatures, according to The New York Times. Due to this, the initiative was disqualified.
“The first part of our review is to ensure that the sponsor has complied with all statutory requirements for submitting a petition,” Thurston wrote. “Because you failed at this first step, it is my duty to reject your submission.”
WIN IN ARKANSAS: The Secretary of State’s office REJECTED the Arkansas Abortion Amendment.⁰⁰Abortion will NOT be on the ballot in November!⁰⁰In rejecting signatures from unverified, paid signature collectors & in noting what the law requires, Arkansas Secretary of State John… pic.twitter.com/NBK0sZizzb
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) July 10, 2024
In addition, Thurston shared that if he had eliminated the signatures that were collected by paid canvassers, it would have dropped the total number of signatures to 87,382, below the mandatory requirement.
Predictably, the abortion rights organization was not happy with the decision.
In a statement, the group said that it submitted all the information needed to qualify for the ballot and said that Thurston’s decision was “an unfounded legal interpretation.”
“We will fight this ridiculous disqualification attempt with everything we have,” the group said. “We will not back down.”
“As I have long said, changing the Arkansas Constitution involves a rigorous process, as it should, and it requires sponsors to adhere to all applicable laws and rules,” Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. “Failure to follow such a basic requirement is inexcusable: the abortion advocates have no one to blame but themselves.”
In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America celebrated Thurston’s decision to disqualify the measure.
“We celebrate that unborn children and their mothers will continue to be protected in the state of Arkansas. The abortion lobby is trying to deceive voters in red states across our nation into voting for amendments that enshrine all-trimester abortion, remove parental rights and eviscerate women’s health protections this year. As they attempt to cut corners in the process in the pro-life state of Arkansas, Secretary of State John Thurston has taken a stand to ensure that pro-abortion activists must follow the same state laws that apply to every other ballot campaign,” SBA Pro-Life America Southern Regional Director Caitlin Connors said.
“Today’s development is a win. It not only preserves the law that protects 3,133 babies in the womb annually but also guards women from a predatory abortion lobby that would remove every single safety regulation on abortion businesses from the books under this amendment and endanger mothers’ lives,” she added.
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