Arkansas group collecting signatures to roll back abortion ban

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A group in Arkansas has less than 150 days to collect enough signatures to put abortion on the ballot in 2024.

For AR People is a nonprofit advocacy group organizing the effort to pass the Arkansas Abortion Amendment. This law would legalize abortion for up to 18 weeks of pregnancy or in cases of rape or incest.

Abortion became illegal in June of 2022, after Roe v. Wade was overturned. At that time, a trigger law went into effect which banned all abortions in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother.

The amendment was originally put forth by the group Arkansans for Limited Government, a ballot question committee formed by For AR People. After several failed attempts, Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the ballot title in January. For AR People is required to collect over 90,000 signatures from across the state in under 150 days to place it on the November ballot.

Arkansas group collecting signatures to roll back abortion ban

Meg Kelly/NPR

Arkansans for Limited Government has until July 5 to collect all the needed signatures to place an amendment rolling back the state's abortion restrictions on the November ballot.