Arkansas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, and a new one set to go into effect at the end of the month has drawn the ire of the ACLU.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to block the law, which it says would force a woman who's been sexually assaulted to get permission from her rapist before she has an abortion.
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The law -- known as House Bill 1566, or the Tissue Disposal Mandate -- requires a fetus to be disposed of in a manner consistent with existing state law that says when a family member dies, other family members have to agree on what to do with the body. The ACLU and others interpret that as meaning that a woman would have to tell and get permission from her partner (or, if the woman is under 18, her family) if she wanted to get an abortion.
But the Arkansas state representative who sponsored the law said that's not its intention. Rep. Kim Hammer, a Republican, told CNN affiliate KNWA the law aims to ensure that fetuses aren't thrown away with medical waste.
"The intent of the bill was to separate the unborn baby from medical waste, as previous to the bill the baby could be disposed with medical waste," Hammer said.
"After that baby is dead, what do you do with the body? You can't just throw him away," Sheila Pursell, the director of Northwest Arkansas Respect Life, told KNWA. "He's not a piece of trash. He's not road kill just dispensed in a garbage dump." ..Continued..
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