Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans into law on Tuesday in the hope of having the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade.
The bill would outlaw abortion in the state in all cases except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency, with no allowance for an abortion under any other circumstances, including for cases of rape or incest. Anyone performing or attempting to perform an abortion could be found guilty of a felony and subject to up to $100,000 in fines and up to 10 years in prison. The bill explicitly excludes the pregnant woman from being charged or convicted for the death of her own unborn child.
In a statement Hutchinson said that the law “is in contradiction of binding precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court, but it is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law.” He also said he would have preferred there be exceptions for rape and incest as “such exceptions would increase the chances for a review” by the court.
Holly Dickson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, called the new law “cruel and unconstitutional” and said, “Governor Hutchinson: we’ll see you in court.”