By Lisa Anderson
NEW YORK (TrustLaw) - Defying a veto by the governor, Arkansas lawmakers Wednesday passed the most restrictive abortion law in the country, banning abortions after three months of pregnancy.
Under the new law, women cannot get an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, according to a report in the New York Times. This is a far earlier date than that mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court, which gives women the right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, which generally occurs about 24 weeks into a pregnancy.
Women’s rights groups, including the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York and the American Civil Liberties Union, immediately said they would file suit to block the law.
The Arkansas law is called the “Human Heartbeat Protection Act” because abdominal ultrasound can detect a fetal heartbeat around the 12th week of pregnancy.
The move by Arkansas is part of a national trend to curtail abortion rights at the state level. At least 10 states have reduced the time frame for abortion to 20 weeks, and dozens of others have instituted measures to make getting an abortion more difficult, including waiting periods, parental consent for minors, ultrasound requirements and onerous regulations on clinics.
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