Arkansas governor says he signed near-total abortion ban so Supreme Courtroom can determine if it is a ‘direct problem’ to Roe | Nationwide Information

The Republican governor of Arkansas said Sunday he signed a near-total abortion ban earlier this month because he wants the Supreme Court to eventually review the legislation and approve the landmark 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, who legalized the process in the United States, repealed.

“That was the whole conception of the law. It’s unconstitutional in Supreme Court cases right now,” Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson told CNN’s Dana Bash about State of the Union. “I signed it because it was a direct challenge for Roe v. Wade.”

“I think there is a very slim chance the Supreme Court will accept this case, but we’ll see,” said the governor, noting that he preferred the legislation to include an exception for rape and incest.

Arkansas law prohibits providers from performing abortions “except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency” and makes no exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or fetal abnormalities. Those who break the law could face a fine of up to $ 100,000 and a prison term of up to 10 years.

The abortion bill is due to go into effect 91 days after the Arkansas legislature ends, which is currently scheduled for May 3, according to Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert, who sponsored the Senate bill.

Of the eleven so-called pregnancy bans that prohibit abortion after a certain point in pregnancy that have been enacted since early 2019, none have come into force after most of them were blocked by judges. These include a similar near-total abortion ban passed in Alabama in 2019 and an 18-week law passed in Arkansas in 2019.

But advocates of the law see the move as a central point of view on the issue, reflecting the views of those in their state, and like Hutchinson they welcome the chance to spark a lawsuit that could reverse Roe.

“We expect it to be challenged,” Rapert said, adding that he is hopeful that the principles of the bill will force the court to respond to “a very broad, widespread public outcry on the matter”.

Legislators denounced rape and incest but adhered to the law’s lack of exceptions for the two crimes, saying, “How can we look at a human baby and say it is not worth living just because its birth was the result of an act of violence ? ” . “

Several abortion restrictions already apply in Arkansas. Abortion seekers must receive a personal alert 72 hours in advance from their providers containing information on prenatal, neonatal and child support in order to gain access to the procedure. Abortions after 20 weeks are already banned in the state, except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening or other serious physical harm to the pregnant woman.

CNN’s Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.