Arkansas County Initially Approves Resolution to Oppose Killing Babies in Abortions

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jul 22, 2021   |   9:47AM   |   Benton, Arkansas

A second Arkansas county took initial steps Tuesday to pass a pro-life resolution recognizing the value of every human being from conception to natural death.

The Benton County Committee of the Whole approved the resolution after listening to almost two hours of public comment, 40/29 News reports. The pro-life measure is scheduled for final approval July 29 on the county Quorum Court agenda.

Last week, Washington County, Arkansas became the first in the state to pass a resolution declaring itself a “pro-life county,” joining a growing movement of local governments that are taking a stand against abortion.

The Benton County resolution, sponsored by Justice of the Peace Joseph Bollinger, states that the county believes in promoting and protecting “the dignity and humanity of all persons at all stages of life from conception until natural death,” according to the report.

“To us at the Republican Party, being pro-life is an over-encompassing area of life, not just one particular subset of people, but all lives. Everyone’s life matters, whether it’s the unborn, the elderly or everyone in between,” Bollinger said.

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A resolution is a statement; it does not have legal power. It simply sends a clear message that the county believes every human life is valuable and deserving of protection.

Local residents also expressed their support for the resolution during the public comment period. One woman described how amazingly developed babies are in the womb.

“What if we could see every hiccup, every kick and every time our unborn babies smiled?” she asked. “Not only would it be incredible to witness, abortion would be unthinkable. No one would want to kill an innocent baby they could see thriving in the womb with their own eyes.”

However, the resolution did meet some resistance from abortion activists, including members of the Young Democrats of Arkansas. Several stood outside the meeting with signs declaring, “Abortion is healthcare” and “Protect safe, legal abortion.”

Over the past several years, dozens of local governments across the United States have passed pro-life resolutions and ordinances to protect unborn babies from abortion.

To date, 33 cities in Texas, Nebraska and Ohio have passed ordinances to ban abortions through the Sanctuary City for the Unborn initiative, and pro-life leaders said even more cities are considering action this summer. Unlike resolutions, ordinances are enforceable legislation.

In a huge victory for life earlier this spring, voters in Lubbock, Texas overwhelmingly passed a pro-life ordinance to ban abortions in their city. The vote resulted in Planned Parenthood stopping abortions there. The abortion chain did sue the city, but a judge recently dismissed its lawsuit.

Other local governments also have passed pro-life resolutions in recent years, including Prattville, Alabama; Roswell, New Mexico; Batavia and Putnam County, New York; Riverton and Highland, Utah; and Springdale, Arkansas.