Arkansas Right to Life

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

Arkansas Right to Life Press Release
May 29, 2026

Arkansas moves forward with Monument to the Unborn at State Capitol

LITTLE ROCK—Progress continues toward establishing the nation’s first Monument to the Unborn, a privately funded memorial authorized under Senate Bill 307 (Act 310) and approved by the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission, according to Amber Singleton, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life.

The monument honors the 236,243 unborn children aborted in Arkansas between 1973 and 2022, Following extensive deliberation, the Commission selected a “living wall” design featuring plants framed by a retaining wall. The design was approved on May 12 after months of discussion among artists and commissioners. To date, $28,790 has been donated toward the project’s construction.

Arkansas Right to Life, which is leading fundraising efforts, confirmed that the project has cleared all required approvals and is now entering its next phase.

“A new design has been chosen and the design and project have been approved by the Capitol grounds committee,” said Singleton. “Memorial ‘pavers’ are available for $100 and sponsorships of $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 are also available. Those sponsors will be recognized on the wall by the memorial.”

On March 16, 2023, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders officially enacted SB307 (Act 310) from the Regular Session of 2023, authorizing the establishment of a sacred “monument to the unborn” within the esteemed grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol. SB307, which was introduced by Senators Kim Hammer, Tyler Dees, and John Payton along with Representative Mary Bentley, created the Monument to Unborn Children Display Fund to receive gifts, grants, and donations for the monument’s construction and long term maintenance.

The memorial would be the first of its kind on any state capitol grounds in the nation and will serve as a lasting reminder of Arkansas’s commitment to protecting life following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, said Singleton.

Arkansas has been named the “No. 1 Pro-Life State in America” for six consecutive years by Americans United for Life (AUL). Each year, AUL releases its Life List, which ranks states from most to least pro-life based on their existing life-affirming policies, such as a state’s protections for life from conception to natural death. This includes laws on abortion, legal recognition of preborn children, bioethics, assisted su***de and end-of-life patient care, and healthcare rights of conscience. Additionally, states are recognized for their life-affirming cultural and political landscape and momentum.

For more information or to contribute to the Monument to the Unborn project, visit artl.org/monument or contact Arkansas Right to Life at 501-663-4237.

Arkansas Right to Life is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, the oldest and largest pro-life organization. For more information, visit artl.org.

05/28/2026

Arkansas Right to Life Press Release
May 28, 2026

Arkansas Right to Life responds to reinstated challenge against state’s abortion laws

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Right to Life Executive Director Amber Singleton is pushing back against claims made in a reinstated lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ near-total abortion ban, calling the case “misinformed” and based on “incorrect assumptions” about how the state’s pro-life laws function in real medical settings.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cara Connors reversed her April 29 dismissal of the lawsuit after the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down Act 975 — the law that had shifted constitutional challenges to the Court of Appeals — just one hour before her ruling was served. The reinstated case, brought by six women and a Little Rock OB-GYN, argues that Arkansas’ abortion bans violate “inherent and inalienable rights” under the state constitution and create dangerous uncertainty for physicians.

Singleton strongly disputes that characterization.

“I have asked my father, a retired OB-GYN, my husband who is currently a practicing OB-GYN, and their eight partners whether Arkansas’s pro-life laws have ever required them to deny medically appropriate care to a patient. Each physician has said that not at any time nor in any circumstance have they been unable to do what is best for their patient,” Singleton said, citing her direct conversations with long-time Arkansas obstetric providers. “To their knowledge, they have never had to turn away a patient, nor referred someone out of state to receive necessary care.”

Singleton said the concerns raised in the lawsuit stem not from the law itself but from “misinterpretation or misapplication” by individual clinicians. She suspects the only physicians claiming to be hampered by current laws are those pushing a political agenda, as there has not been a case of a physician being prosecuted under the current laws in our state.

“I believe the lawsuit is founded on incorrect assumptions, misinformation, and should be dismissed,” she said. “Patients who were denied appropriate care should pursue remedies directly related to the specific clinician’s actions — rather than attributing the issue to the law itself.”

The lawsuit challenges Arkansas’ 2019 Act 180, the Human Life Protection Act, and Act 309 of 2021, both of which prohibit abortion except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. Plaintiffs argue the “medical emergency” exception is vague and creates an unconstitutional chill on care.

Arkansas, represented by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin, maintains that the laws are constitutional and rely on a clear “reasonable medical judgment” standard. Griffin’s office said it “will continue to vigorously defend the state’s duly passed abortion laws.”

Arkansas Right to Life has consistently rejected claims that the state’s pro-life laws prevent legitimate medical treatment. In a previous statement, Singleton described similar litigation as “deceptive,” noting that Arkansas OB-GYNs she consulted “have never been fearful of breaking a pro-life law while caring for any of their patients.”

With the case now reinstated, the court will next consider whether to issue a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the abortion bans while litigation proceeds.

Arkansas Right to Life says it will continue defending the state’s protections for unborn children and the medical-emergency framework that has guided physicians since 2022.

05/28/2026

Thankful for the Knights of Columbus!

05/25/2026

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

05/11/2026

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Arkansas’ Pro-Life Laws

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making it possible for states to set their own abortion policies. Since then Arkansas law has prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother. Last year the state legislature took excellent steps to strengthen and clarify Arkansas’ ...

05/10/2026

We wish you a beautiful Mother’s Day. We know this can be such a special day to spend with your loved ones or a very painful one depending on loss or hurt.

We hope you feel loved and blessed today🌸🌺💐

05/08/2026

The 55th National Right to Life Conference is set for June 12-13 during America's 250th anniversary! Don't miss it!https://nrlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/National-Right-to-Life-News-May-2026.pdf

05/05/2026

Arkansas Legislature Approves $3.5M in Grant Funding for Mothers with Unplanned Pregnancies

The Arkansas Legislature continues to put its money where its mouth is by approving millions of dollars in grant funding to support women with unplanned pregnancies.

05/04/2026

Disappointed... Supreme Court restores access to abortion pill mifepristone through telehealth, mail and pharmacies

The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor.

The Supreme Court has restored broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone, blocking a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation.