State and federal officials serving the Pine Bluff area are declaring victory over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn a 49-year-old ruling that held abortion is constitutionally protected.
Six of the nine Supreme Court justices upheld Mississippi's Gestational Age Act, which prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, in a decision favoring Mississippi state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs over the Jackson Women's Health Organization. The ruling, however, went further and essentially overturned a landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, meaning each state has the right to criminalize abortion rather than the practice being accepted federally.
"I am ecstatic to see the U.S. Supreme Court today rectify its 1973 decision by reversing Roe v. Wade and sending the issue of abortion back to the states," said U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican who represents Arkansas' Fourth Congressional District including Pine Bluff and a majority of Jefferson County. "Life is a right. Abortion is not. Our system of government is not based on unelected judges creating a right that doesn't exist in the Constitution. A new day has dawned in America, and many innocent lives will be saved in the years to come."
It is not believed any abortion clinics exist in southeast Arkansas. But in Pine Bluff, Hope of the Delta is a pregnancy care center that provides services including medical consultations, pregnancy tests and ultrasound exams, according to its website.
The clinic offers to discuss questions a client may have about abortion, but asks clients to consider its risks and alternatives such as adoption.
"For 20 years, our goal has been to empower women and men of southeast Arkansas to make informed choices for themselves, their reproductive health, and their children," Hope of the Delta CEO Tamela Turbeville said in a statement. "The client's physical, mental and spiritual well-being has always been our priority. We offer support through our many programs aimed at helping our clients flourish. Our commitment to the men and women we serve has never been contingent upon laws affecting their reproductive health and we remain unwavering in our commitment to them."
Clients also looking to emotionally heal from an abortion, miscarriage or other pregnancy loss can turn to the clinic, as well.
"Make no mistake, we must help struggling women and ensure they have every resource they need throughout and after pregnancy," Westerman said. "Women will always have choices. As many as two million U.S. families are looking to adopt at any given time, while roughly 700,000 abortions are performed each year. Each of these precious lives could have a family ready and willing to provide a loving home.
"I look forward to a day when all Americans reject the horrors of abortion in their own states to ensure the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for every child."
Another Pine Bluff agency, ACCESS Inc. (Arkansas Coordinated Child Effort in State Services), offers prenatal and parenting classes exclusively to teen parents as a teen pregnancy prevention program. A woman who identified herself as the executive director of ACCESS declined comment on the Supreme Court ruling.
STATE'S REACTIONS
The governor and attorney general of Arkansas, however, left no doubt where they stand on Friday's ruling, and neither did the three gubernatorial candidates, all of whom have Pine Bluff ties.
"For me, this is a turning point for our nation," said Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Reoublican, who will complete his second term in January. "Since Roe versus Wade was decided, the states that decided to protect an unborn life have been prohibited from doing so. Personally, I'm grateful for the court's ruling today because I fought for a number of decades for greater protections for the unborn throughout my political life."
With Friday's ruling, Arkansas is among 13 states that have banned or will ban abortion within 30 days, according to The Washington Post. All states surrounding Arkansas are among the 13 that will criminalize or have criminalized abortions, according to The Post. That means the closest an Arkansan could go to have such a procedure would likely be New Mexico or Illinois.
Act 180 of the 2019 Arkansas state legislature restores the right to prohibit abortion in the state "on or after" either the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade or an amendment to the Constitution is passed ending the case's impact.
Violation of the act is an unclassified felony and calls for a fine of up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years against the person that performs the abortion. A woman will not be charged with an offense, and contraceptives are not prohibited if they are "administered before the time when a pregnancy could be determined through conventional medical testing" and within manufacturer instructions.
Hutchinson also highlighted the need to help women who are faced with tough decisions, adding the state Health Department in March appropriated $1 million toward grants to support pregnancy resource centers. It's not clear whether Hope of the Delta was among the beneficiaries.
State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, however, stressed the only time abortion is legal is "to save the life of the mother."
Rutledge, a Republican running for lieutenant governor, grew emotional during a televised news conference, her voice shaking before certifying the Supreme Court decision.
"I want to thank God because he is so good and he made today possible," she said.
GOVERNOR HOPEFULS CHIME IN
Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the overturning of Roe v. Wade came on a day she and others have prayed for and worked toward for decades. Sanders' father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, was pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff in the 1980s.
"I am thankful for the brave resolve of the six Supreme Court justices who -- while receiving death threats and extreme political pressure -- did what is right: defending the lives of the most innocent and vulnerable in our society," she said.
"As Americans, we value the sanctity of life, and it is in our very nature to protect it. As a mom, I know the love that each of my three children have brought to our family, and as governor, I will fight to keep Arkansas one of the most pro-life states in the nation."
Her Democratic opponent, Pine Bluff native and Watson Chapel High School graduate Chris Jones, promised to defend reproductive rights.
"#SCOTUS overturning #Roe sets a dangerous precedent," Jones said. "No matter your race, age or socioeconomics, we believe women and their doctors should have control over their medical decisions. Not the government, not politicians, and certainly not the courts.
"Make no mistake: This decision is an all-out assault on women's rights, an attack that's been in the works for decades. And now, they've been able to overturn a decision that's overwhelmingly popular everywhere, while also robbing women of their autonomy in the process."
Pine Bluff resident and Libertarian candidate Ricky Harrington said prohibiting abortion hasn't worked in nations that tried it, although one could make a libertarian argument for or against it.
"Having lived in a country where women are forced to have abortions, I want to live in a country that respects the bodily autonomy of all individuals," Harrington said. "In all circumstances, we must understand that self-determination is quintessential for a free society.
"... Just like attempts to prohibit alcohol or marijuana consumption, outlawing abortion is not a practical political solution to reducing the number of abortions."