Americans United for Life (AUL) has released its annual ranking of all 50 states by how pro-life their laws are, and Arkansas topped the list for the sixth year running.
“We thank the pro-life leadership of Arkansas, including Governor Sanders, for their dedication to life, protecting the vulnerable from abortion, assisted suicide and any other means to diminish the dignity of the human person,” John Mize, CEO of AUL, said according to the group’s website. Americans United for Life encourages Arkansas in their continued fight for life now and in battles to come.”
The AUL’s annual Life List is based on several pro-life issues.
“AUL looks at each state’s protections for life from conception to natural death,” the group’s webpage about the list states. “This includes laws on abortion, legal recognition of preborn children, bioethics, assisted suicide and end-of-life patient care, and healthcare rights of conscience.”
Arkansas has passed over 65 laws protecting human life since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade was decided, according to an Oct. 27 press release from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ website. In 2021, the state passed a law outlawing abortion in all cases except the life of the mother, which then went into effect in 2022 when Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center overturned Roe v. Wade.
Sanders expressed pride in her state’s six-year winning streak and emphasized that she believes pro-life policies need to cover more than just abortion.
“Pro-life is whole life, and I’m proud that for the past six years, Arkansas has ranked number one in the nation – not just in protecting the unborn, but in preserving life from conception to natural conclusion,” Sanders said, according to her website. “I’m thankful to the activists who have fought for this day for decades and promise that as governor, I will continue to fight every day to protect the most vulnerable among us.”
In recent months, Arkansas has been leading the fight to convince Congress to make it illegal to ship abortifacients to states where abortion is illegal, as CatholicVote previously reported.
In AUL’s announcement of this year’s Life List, the group indicated its concern that pro-life initiatives in many states were slowing down.
“Unfortunately, there was a significant dip in the number of life-affirming protections passed this year,” the group said on its website. “Last year, the pro-life movement was successful in enacting at least 59 life-affirming laws. This year, only 41 pro-life bills and resolutions have been passed.”
Arkansas was followed by Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi as the most pro-life states. Vermont came in last place.
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