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Our Mission
Mission Statement
ARKANSAS RIGHT TO LIFE (ARTL) is a non-profit public service organization. ARTL’s primary purpose is to educate through the presentation of detailed and factual information about fetal development, abortion, alternatives to abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and related issues, upon which individuals and the general public may make informed decisions.
ARTL supports a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to make possible legal protection of all human beings and educated citizens to take constructive citizen action to protect the most basic human right – LIFE itself.
The legal protection of the right to life of innocent human beings is the basic issue upon which all other issues of human rights and justice depend. It is the pivotal human rights issue today, because once we abandon the basic democratic principle of equality – that ALL human beings deserve the protection of the law no matter what their size, their age or their degree of dependency – then the rights of all of us are less secure.
Although the current controversy concerning the right to life focuses on the unborn, decisions that society makes regarding abortion will have grave implications for the future – influencing society’s acceptance of infanticide, euthanasia and other related bioethical issues.
ARTL believes that society’s duty to those women whose pregnancies are complicated by medical, psychological, social or economic factors is to protect both mother and child by treating the complication and not by destroying the child. Therefore, we are working for alternatives to abortion and humane solutions to the problems of women who seek abortion.
ARTL recognizes that there are complex problems in caring for handicapped newborns and persons who are aged and informed, but we believe that problems must be solved with respect for the lives, individual rights and dignity of all human beings, especially those too young, too old or too physically ill or handicapped to defend themselves.
Members of ARTL are active in the pro-life movement within Arkansas. We come from many different social, economic, racial, religious, age and political backgrounds, and we are bound together by a common dedication to protecting all human life. Our cause is to foster and protect society’s traditional respect for life by supporting the civil and human rights of the unborn, the defenseless, the aged, the disadvantaged, and all human life.
Statement on Violence
Arkansas Right to Life (ARTL) strongly opposes any use of violence as a means of stopping the violence that has killed more than 62 million unborn children since 1973.
ARTL has always been involved in peaceful, legal activities to protect human lives threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. We have always and continue to oppose any form of violence to fight the violence of abortion. ARTL has a policy of forbidding violence (or illegal activity) by its staff, directors, officer and affiliated chapters. ARTL’s sole purpose is to protect human life.
ARTL will continue to work in educational, legislative and political activities to ensure the right to life for unborn children, people with disabilities and older people. ARTL will continue to work for peaceful solutions to social problems. These solutions involve helping women and their children and do not involve violence against anyone.
Activities and Accomplishments
1977
Arkansas State Fair
Each year since 1977, Arkansas Right to Life has sponsored a pro-life educational exhibit at the Arkansas State Fair. Several thousand people visit the booth each year, making this one of our largest educational events. The booth is open for over 100 hours during the ten-day fair and involves approximately 100 volunteers.
1978
March for Life
Since 1978, Arkansas Right to Life has sponsored the Annual March for Life in Little Rock, to commemorate the January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion. This is the largest pro-life gathering in Arkansas and attracts thousands people from all over the state.
2019
Safe Haven Act
In 2019 – Arkansas Right to Life worked to amend the Safe Haven Act (Act 185 of 2019) to add manned Fire Stations as surrender locations and authorize the installation of Safe Haven Baby Boxes at surrender locations and to amend the Woman’s Right to Know Act (Act 522 of 2019) to require Abortion Pill Reversal information be given to women undergoing chemical/medication abortion in Arkansas. We also worked against legislation to legalized assisted suicide and the ERA. We supported legislation that banned abortions at 18 weeks and for down syndrome diagnosis, increased the reflection period for abortion decisions from 48 to 72 hours, to require abortion providers to be OB-GYN certified and to ban abortion in AR when Roe v. Wade is overturned.