Today, because of advancements in science, we know more about the developing unborn child than we did in the early 1970s when Roe v. Wade was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Forty-one years ago, the unborn child, for the most part, did not exist as a patient in medicine. But now, with advancements in ultrasound, we can literally see the unborn child and we have the ability to perform fetal surgery, using anesthesia, when the unborn child has reached 20 weeks of development.
In 2013, both houses of the Arkansas legislature passed a law to prohibit the abortion of unborn children capable of feeling pain. They even overrode the governor's veto to ensure their protection. At that time Arkansas was the eighth state to pass the legislation. Since then, two more states have passed it.
The United States House of Representatives voted on a similar bill, HR3803, the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, on July 31, 2012. All of Arkansas' U.S. House delegation, including former Democratic 4th District Congressman Mike Ross, voted in favor of the ban, the only exception of which was when an acute physical condition endangers the life of the mother.
In 2013, HR1797, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., was passed on June 18 by a vote of 228-196 with the support of all Arkansas members of the U.S. House: Congressmen Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin, Steve Womack and Tom Cotton. In the same year, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced S. 1670, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, with Arkansas' Sen. John Boozman as a co-sponsor.
But where does Sen. Mark Pryor stand on protecting unborn children from abortion procedures that brutally dismember their bodies to kill them at 20 weeks or more of development?
The majority of our state's three million citizens are pro-life and support the protection of unborn children as stated in Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution: "The policy of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth, to the extent permitted by the federal Constitution."
Senator Pryor says that he is "skeptical" that the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is constitutional. Arkansas and seven other states have successfully banned abortion on unborn children capable of feeling pain without challenges. Two other states that passed pain-capable bans, Georgia and Idaho, are currently enjoined and awaiting court action.
If we have the opportunity to protect an unborn child from experiencing pain at any point during pregnancy, we should.
Senator Pryor says that he listens to Arkansans, but I believe he is not listening when it comes to induced abortion. Arkansas is ranked among the top five most pro-life states in our nation with laws that protect both mothers and saves the lives of unborn children.
Representing Arkansas as our senior senator, Pryor is out of touch with the views and values of the majority of Arkansans on the abortion issue, especially when it comes to Obamacare. He calls the Affordable Care Act "an amazing success" and apparently did nothing to prevent including benefits to use taxpayer dollars to pay for elective abortion on demand, something he says he opposes.
As our U.S. senator, he has voted against pro-life legislation 25 times out of 38 votes as scored by the National Right to Life Committee. I believe Mark Pryor is not pro-life; his votes prove it. Being "personally opposed" is not good enough.
We are far from President Bill Clinton's famous line about wanting abortion to be "safe, legal and rare." Yet, despite the U.S. having one of the most permissive laws in the world, we have seen the number of abortions decline. I believe one important factor has been the overwhelming scientific evidence that the unborn child by 20 weeks can experience pain.
In 2005, the Arkansas General Assembly passed the Unborn Child Pain Awareness and Prevention Act to provide pregnant women at 20 weeks or more information that their unborn child feels pain and the option of authorizing pain relief for the child during the abortion. According to the data generated from the reporting requirements of the law, many women did not choose abortion after receiving this information.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is grounded in a moral empathy that resonates loudly with Arkansans and most other people: You don't kill unborn children who are capable of feeling pain. If we cannot count on Sen. Mark Pryor when it comes to protecting innocent, unborn children, how can we trust him to protect the rest of us?
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Rose Mimms is executive director of Arkansas Right to Life.
Editorial on 09/12/2014