LITTLE ROCK, AR — New efforts are underway to determine the constitutionality of the Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has filed a petition with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals asking for a rehearing before all judges of the court, instead of a three-judge panel.
“I have and will continue to be a strong advocate for the unborn… The Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act, which prohibits abortions after 12 weeks when a heartbeat is detected, was passed by lawmakers in 2013, and it is my duty to defend this law. I believe that the State’s appeal is entitled to a full hearing before the entire Eighth Circuit and not just a three-judge panel,” said Rutledge.
The Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act prohibits abortions after 12 weeks when a heartbeat is detected. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit blocked the law, which is considered one of the most restrictive bans in the country. State law required doctors to test for a fetal heartbeat, then banned abortion after 12 weeks if a heartbeat was present, but the ruling struck down that ban. The case was filed by two doctors on their own and their patients’ behalf.
The Arkansas legislature approved the strict law back in 2013, and then voted to override a veto by then-Governor Mike Beebe. While it has now been blocked, Arkansas has backup laws banning abortions after 20 weeks and making them more difficult to obtain. In all, 10 states now have laws banning abortions after 20 weeks.