LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas lawmakers have sent the governor legislation banning most abortions 18 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy, a prohibition that could be the strictest in the country.
The House on Wednesday gave final approval by an 86-1 vote to the bill, which Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he supports. Arkansas already bans abortion 20 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy.
The House had approved an earlier version of the bill and on Wednesday backed an amendment adding exceptions for rape and incest. The ban would be the strictest in the country if enacted, though proposals to ban abortion earlier in a woman’s pregnancy are advancing in several other state legislatures. Another 18-week ban is pending in Utah’s legislature.
