The Arkansas House passed on a bill on February 1 requiring the creation of a hotline for women to call prior to undergoing an abortion. The hotline would inform women of services available to them should they choose life for their preborn babies.
House Bill 1195, known as the “Every Mom Matters Act,” passed in the state House with a vote of 75-13 and carries the hope of reducing the abortion rate by up to a third, according to bill sponsor Rep. Jim Dotson. He said that abortion rate reduction would be accomplished by “making sure every woman obtaining an abortion in Arkansas knows about both the resources public and private available to her.”
According to NWA Online, the bill would require the Arkansas Department of Health to create a hotline that provides abortion-minded women with information on the resources available to them if they choose life, including medical, welfare, and private programs to assist them. These resources are not routinely offered by abortion businesses which make money every time a woman chooses abortion. Many women who choose abortion feel they have no other option and are unaware of services available to them if they choose not to abort. The hotline call would last about five minutes, but the services and resources available to a woman who chooses life would last until her child’s second birthday.
READ: Option Line sees 40% jump in calls amid pandemic, proving importance of pregnancy centers
Opponents of the bill shared concern that the money to establish the hotline would not come through and that women would be forced to call a number that has nothing on the other end. However, Dotson said that in order to make the program sustainable, they had about two years to plan the funding, and he would collaborate with the Department of Health to establish the most cost-effective way to create the hotline.
In 2019, 2,963 abortions were committed in Arkansas. Many women feel backed into a corner when faced with an unplanned pregnancy and many are pressured into abortion by their partners or parents, or because of their financial and educational status. Pro-life pregnancy centers — viewed by abortion providers as competitors — provide women with assistance to help them overcome those obstacles.
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