Arkansas joined a half-dozen other states that have enacted restrictions on a common procedure for second-trimester abortions, with Gov. Asa Hutchinson signing the legislation hours after the Senate passed it Thursday.
The enactment of House Bill 1032, which restricts dilation and evacuation abortions, prompted the American Civil Liberties Union to promise to file a lawsuit against the state.
The bill, debated for 20 minutes in the Republican-majority Senate, makes it a felony to perform the procedure except to prevent a "serious health risk" to the mother. The ban does not include exceptions for rape and incest. The law takes effect 90 days after the current regular legislative session ends.
Courts in four of the six states with similar laws have delayed such bans from taking effect.
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