Abortion Rights Supporters Put a Winning Strategy to the Test in Arkansas

Organizers have until Friday to collect enough signatures to put abortion access on the ballot this fall in a state where conservative and evangelical values run deep.

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Abortion-rights supporters urged the crowd during a Pride event in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday to sign a petition to put abortion access on the ballot.

In states like California, Ohio and Michigan, supporters of abortion rights have been undefeated in using ballot measures to ensure constitutional access to the procedure.

But their approach is about to face perhaps its toughest test yet in Arkansas, a state with a near-total abortion ban and where conservative and evangelical values run deep. A victory here could show just how scrambled the politics of abortion have become since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. A loss would illustrate the limits of its appeal.

“It would be a jewel in their crown for them to take Arkansas out,” said State Senator Kim Hammer, a Republican and an outspoken opponent of abortion.

Organizers have until Friday to gather enough signatures to get their initiative on the November ballot, and are optimistic of at least passing that first hurdle. They argue that the lack of exceptions under the current law — it only allows for an abortion to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency — and the precarious legal landscape for doctors will be enough to build a bipartisan coalition.

ImageThe proposed amendment would allow abortions up to 18 weeks after fertilization, rather than the 24 weeks used in most other ballot initiatives.Credit…Melyssa St. Michael for The New York Times

The campaign is about “being able to deliver that message that Arkansas is worth fighting for,” said Marlee Stark, a volunteer, and “that we’re not doomed to linger in the bottom ranking of every quality-of-life indicator.”

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