On Wednesday, Arkansas passed into law the country’s most restrictive ban on abortion to date. The ruling denies women the right to an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, setting a term limit that is 12 weeks earlier than the limit established by Supreme Court decisions.
The state’s Republican controlled legislature bypassed a veto by Democratic Governor Mike Beebe to enact the bill into law, and this bold move has left many legislators calling the decision unconstitutional.
Jason Rapert, Republican Arkansas State Senator sponsored the bill. State Representative Greg Leding, an Arkansas Democrat and House Minority Leader, opposed it.