One law, Act 45, includes a ban on a procedure known as “dilation and evacuation.” Abortion rights supporters say it is the safest and most common procedure used in second-trimester abortions, but the state calls it barbaric and “dismemberment abortion,” saying it can have emotional consequences for the women who use this procedure.
Another law, Act 603, includes the disposition of fetal remains in a current state law that require family members agree on what to do with a dead person’s remains. Critics of the new measure argued that it would require the mother to inform the father of an abortion, even in cases of rape.
The two other laws, Act 733 and Act 1018 pertain to doctors and concern over medical records and reporting methods.
On August, 10 a hearing on a case that involves another Arkansas law, which targets abortion providers for medically unnecessary over-regulation, will be held. The lawsuit is on behalf of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and the ACLU.
