Title 20 — Public Health and Welfare

This subchapter takes effect on January 1, 2016.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Abortion” means the act of using or prescribing an instrument, medicine, drug, device, or another substance or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those m…

(a) An agency or instrumentality of the state shall not award a grant to pay the direct or indirect costs of performing, inducing, referring, or counseling in favor of abortions, including without limitation:(1) Administrative costs and expenses;(2) Overhead costs;(3) Employee sa…

(a) (1) This subchapter does not affect the funding of a hospital, medical school, or university.(2) The restrictions under § 20-16-1602 apply to funding available through the Arkansas Medicaid Program. (1) This subchapter does not affect the funding of a hospital, medical school…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Woman's Right-to-Know Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Abortion” means the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those m…

(a) A person shall not perform or induce an abortion without the voluntary and informed consent of the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed or induced. (b) Except in the case of a medical emergency, consent to an abortion is voluntary and informed only if:(1) At least …

(a) (1) The Department of Health shall:(A) Publish easily comprehensible printed materials and an informational DVD in English and Spanish within ninety (90) days after July 22, 2015;(B) Develop and maintain a secure internet website, which may be part of an existing website, to …

(a) (1) A licensed facility where abortions are performed shall post a sign conspicuously in a location defined in subsection (b) of this section that is clearly visible to all individuals who enter and that features the text contained in subdivision (a)(2) of this section.(2) Th…

When a medical emergency compels the performance of an abortion, the physician shall inform the woman before the abortion, if possible, of the medical indications supporting the physician's judgment that an immediate abortion is necessary to avert her death or that a seventy-two-…

(a) The Department of Health shall develop and promulgate rules regarding reporting requirements. (b) (1) The Arkansas Center for Health Statistics shall ensure that all information collected by the center regarding abortions performed in this state shall be available to the publ…

(a) (1) The Department of Health shall adopt rules to implement this subchapter.(2) The department may add by rule additional examples of complications to supplement those in § 20-16-1703. (1) The Department of Health shall adopt rules to implement this subchapter. (2) The depart…

A person who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly violates this subchapter commits a Class A misdemeanor.

(a) In addition to any remedies available under the common law or statutory law of this state, failure to comply with the requirements of this subchapter shall provide a basis for a:(1) Civil malpractice action for actual and punitive damages; and(2) Professional disciplinary act…

(a) This subchapter does not create or recognize a right to abortion. (b) This subchapter is not intended to make lawful an abortion that is currently unlawful.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Abortion” means the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device:(A) To terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant with an intention other than to:(i) Increase the probability of a live bi…

(a) A person shall not purposely perform or attempt to perform a dismemberment abortion and thereby kill an unborn child unless it is necessary to prevent a serious health risk to the pregnant woman. (b) (1) A person who is accused of violating subsection (a) of this section may …

(a) (1) A cause of action for injunctive relief against a person who has purposely violated this subchapter may be maintained by:(A) The woman who receives or attempted to receive a dismemberment abortion in violation of this subchapter;(B) A person who is the spouse, parent, or …

A person who violates § 20-16-1803(a) commits a Class D felony.

(a) In a civil proceeding or action brought under this subchapter, the court shall determine whether the anonymity of a woman who received or attempted to receive a dismemberment abortion shall be preserved from public disclosure without her written consent. (b) (1) Upon determin…

(1) This subchapter does not:(1) Create or recognize a right to abortion;(2) Create or recognize a right to a particular method of abortion; or(3) Make lawful an abortion that is currently unlawful under any law of this state. (1) Create or recognize a right to abortion; (2) Crea…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Sex Discrimination by Abortion Prohibition Act”.

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) With regard to sex-selection abortion:(A) The victims of sex-selection abortion are overwhelmingly female;(B) A sex-selection abortion is used to prevent the birth of a child of an undesired sex;(C) The United States, along with other count…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Abortion” means the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by an…

(a) A physician or other person shall not intentionally perform or attempt to perform an abortion with the knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely on the basis of the sex of the unborn child. (b) Before performing an abortion, the physician or other perso…

A physician or other person who knowingly performs or attempts to perform an abortion prohibited by this subchapter is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(a) (1) A physician or other person who knowingly violates this subchapter is liable for damages and shall have his or her medical license suspended or revoked as applicable.(2) The physician or other person may also be enjoined from future acts prohibited by this subchapter. (1)…

(a) A woman who receives or attempts to receive an abortion in violation of this subchapter shall not be prosecuted under this subchapter for conspiracy to violate this subchapter or otherwise be held criminally or civilly liable for any violation. (b) In a criminal proceeding or…

(a) This subchapter shall not be construed as creating or recognizing a right to abortion. (b) It is not the intention of this subchapter to make lawful an abortion that is currently unlawful.

The General Assembly by joint resolution may appoint one (1) or more of its members who sponsored or cosponsored this subchapter in his or her official capacity to intervene as a matter of right in any case in which the constitutionality of this law is challenged.

This subchapter takes effect on January 1, 2018.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Cherish Act”.

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) (A) The United States is one (1) of only seven (7) nations in the world that permits nontherapeutic or elective abortion on request after the twentieth week of gestation.(B) Fully seventy-five percent (75%) of all nations do not permit abor…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Abortion” means the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by an…

(a) Except in a medical emergency or if the pregnancy results from a rape under § 5-14-103 or incest under § 5-26-202 when documentation is presented that states that the crime has been reported to law enforcement, a person shall not perform, induce, or attempt to perform or indu…

(a) Within thirty (30) days of July 24, 2019, the Department of Health shall create forms required by this subchapter. (b) The reporting requirements shall be enforceable ten (10) days after either July 24, 2019, or the date that the forms described in subsection (a) of this sect…

(a) (1) A person who purposely or knowingly violates this subchapter is guilty of a Class D felony.(2) A woman upon whom an abortion is performed, induced, or attempted in violation of this subchapter shall not be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit a violation of this subchapter…

(1) This subchapter does not:(1) Create or recognize a right to abortion;(2) Create or recognize a right to a particular method of abortion; or(3) Make lawful an abortion that is currently unlawful under any law of this state. (1) Create or recognize a right to abortion; (2) Crea…

(a) The General Assembly by joint resolution may appoint one (1) or more of its members who sponsored or cosponsored this subchapter in his or her official capacity to intervene as a matter of right in any case in which the constitutionality of this law is challenged. (b) The Gov…

(a) The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System is established and is to be administered within Arkansas Children's Hospital. (b) The purpose of the system is to collect and analyze data from a number of sources to describe trends in the occurrence of reproductive endpoint…

As used in this subchapter, “commission” means the advisory commission established in § 20-16-203.

(a) The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System shall be administered with the advice of an advisory commission appointed to one-year renewable terms by the Medical Director of the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System. (b) The functions of the commission are to:(…

A.C.A. § 20-16-204Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System shall be administered by a medical director appointed by the Medical Director of Arkansas Children's Hospital from among the professional staff of Arkansas Children's Hospital. (b) The Medical Director of the Arkansas Reprodu…

(a) The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System is expressly authorized to contract for the production of any information which the Medical Director of the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System determines to be relevant to monitoring reproductive health. (b) Infor…

The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System is expressly exempted and prohibited from supplying any information by individual name or other personal identifier or in a form other than a statistical report or other appropriate form which protects the confidentiality of indi…

All hospitals with patient records containing information pertaining to reproduction and development are required to share information in those records with the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System.

(a) Any physician, clinic, person, or organization may provide information relative to reproductive health to the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System. (b) No liability of any kind for damages or other relief shall arise or be enforced against any person or organization…

The Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System shall have the power to enter into agreements with other states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consistent with the requirements and restrictions of this subchapter in order to obtain relevant information for t…