A couple hundred people gathered at the state Capitol Sunday afternoon to throw more momentum behind the effort to repeal Arkansas’s near-total abortion ban.
The rally was organized by Arkansans for Limited Government, a group that’s working to collect more than 90,000 signatures by July 5 in order to get the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the ballot in November.
Current Arkansas law bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother. The Arkansas Abortion Amendment would allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly, to save the health of the mother and for up to 18 weeks after conception.
Sunday’s rally was attended by dozens of medical professionals, many of whom joined the stage during speeches by two board-certified OBGYNs, Dr. Chad Taylor and Dr. Janet Cathey.
Civil rights activist and pastor Rev. Ryan Davis also spoke at the event, emphasizing the compatibility of religious faith and the fight for reproductive justice.
Attendees on Sunday had the opportunity to sign a petition in support of putting the Arkansas Abortion Amendment in front of voters come November. If you weren’t able to be there and are still interested in signing, you can find a list of upcoming events and permanent signing locations — including the Arkansas Times office — here.
Check out Arkansas Times photographer Brian Chilson’s snaps from the event below:
