Arkansas governor signs bill banning sex-selective abortions

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has approved a bill on Wednesday that would make it illegal for abortion practitioners to knowingly terminate a pregnancy solely because of the child's sex.

House Bill 1434 or the Sex Discrimination By Abortion Prohibition Act was passed earlier this month by the Arkansas House of Representatives and Senate. It is scheduled to go into effect in January 2018.

The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Charlie Collins, would require abortionists to obtain medical records and information related to the pregnancy to help determine if the mother is seeking an abortion because of the baby's sex. Those who are found to be in violation of the law could face misdemeanor charges, fines and a license suspension or revocation, Life News reported.

The new law was based on a model legislation from the pro-life group Americans United for Life (AUL), which lauded the governor for signing the bill.

"Arkansas's governor and legislative leaders are to be commended for addressing the shocking problem of sex selection abortions which disproportionately target baby girls," said AUL Vice President of Legal Affairs Denise Burke.

Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Arkansas indicated that they would likely challenge the new law in court.

Last month, ACLU Arkansas Executive Director Rita Sklar claimed that the legislation is unconstitutional and described it as an intrusion on what should be "a woman's private decision."

"Any legislation that bans abortion before the point of viability is unconstitutional, plain and simple," she said.

"There is very good potential for litigation because of this burden on women obtaining abortions that they want for whatever reason," she added.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains spokesperson Ashley Wright argued that the law would "interfere with open, honest communication between doctors and patients."

Arkansas is the 10th state to ban sex-selective abortions, according to Burke. Seven of these laws are currently either fully or partially in effect. Other that have similar laws include Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.

A poll conducted by the Charlotte Lozier Institute in 2012 indicated that 77 percent of Americans are in favor of laws banning abortions in cases where "the fact that the developing baby is a girl is the sole reason for seeking an abortion."