Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023) › Title 14 - LOCAL GOVERNMENT (§§ 14-1-101 — 14-387-706) › Subtitle 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 14-1-101 — 14-2-308) › Chapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 14-1-101 — 14-1-606) › Subchapter 1 - SPORT SHOOTING RANGES AND FACILITIES (§§ 14-1-101 — 14-1-110) › Section 14-1-108 - Pro-Life City, Pro-Life County, or Pro-Life Political Subdivision designation

(a)
A municipality, county, or other political subdivision may state by resolution:
(1)
That the policy of the municipality, county, or political subdivision is to promote and protect the dignity and humanity of all persons at all stages of life from conception until natural death;
(2)
That the municipality, county, or political subdivision is to be known as a "Pro-Life City", a "Pro-Life County", or a "Pro-Life Political Subdivision"; and
(3)
The following findings:
(A)
The Declaration of Independence declares that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life;
(B)
Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 68, states that the policy of the state is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth;
(C)
It is the duty of state and local government to protect the unalienable right to life of every person within each respective jurisdiction;
(D)
The United States Supreme Court found in Poelker v. Doe, 432 U.S. 519 (1977), that the United States Constitution does not prohibit a municipality using democratic processes from expressing a preference for childbirth rather than abortion; and
(E)
The United States Supreme Court found in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022), that the United States Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.
(b)
A municipality, county, or other political subdivision that passes a resolution under subsection (a) of this section may promote the Pro-Life City, Pro-Life County, or Pro-Life Political Subdivision status in a manner consistent with other law, including without limitation by:
(1)
Placing signs along rights-of-way near the boundaries of the municipality, county, or political subdivision;
(2)
Advertising in any promotion, advertisement, or public relations effort;
(3)
Placing signs or banners on municipal, county, or political subdivision property;
(4)
Placing a slogan or other notation on utility billing or other communications to municipal, county, or political subdivision residents;
(5)
Producing and distributing signs, decals, or other material for businesses or residents to voluntarily use and display;
(6)
Promoting at festivals, parades, or other public events;
(7)
Urging municipal, county, or political subdivision employees to develop and implement innovative and creative ways for promotion;
(8)
Placing a slogan or other notation on publicly owned vehicles;
(9)
Declaring pro-life observances, such as a pro-life day or pro-life month;
(10)
Encouraging local schools and civic clubs to promote the dignity of innocent human life;
(11)
Encouraging local places of worship to promote the sanctity of innocent human life;
(12)
Erecting monuments or other permanent memorials to lives lost to abortion;
(13)
Establishing a cemetery or other place for the dignified burial of the unborn and for memorials to those who have died in an abortion; and
(14)
Using public service announcements.
Added by Act 2023, No. 699,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023.