women’s health

Remaining abortion clinics face more challenges if abortion pill limited by Texas judge

BY: - March 2, 2023

JACKSON, MISS. The Pink House — otherwise known as Jackson Women’s Health Organization — was the center of the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned the federal right to abortion in June. Today, the clinic, the only abortion clinic to serve Mississippi and the greater area for years, is shuttered. On a hot day in […]

Rep. Aaron Pilkington, Rep. Kendon Underwood

Bill requiring paid maternity leave from employers that cover abortion costs heads to Senate

BY: - February 13, 2023

The Arkansas House on Monday approved legislation requiring companies that cover expenses for employees who seek out-of-state abortions to also provide 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. Eleven states have passed paid family leave laws, according to the Center for American Progress. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, some national […]

Black woman holding newborn baby in hospital bed

Remainder of $1M pregnancy resource center grant will be distributed this month

BY: - January 4, 2023

Arkansas’ grant for pregnancy resource centers will assist a total of 23 facilities after distributing the rest of the $1 million grant fund created in 2022, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration. The taxpayer-funded grant supports “crisis pregnancy centers,” maternity homes, adoption agencies, and “social service agencies that provide material support and […]

Even red-state voters back abortion rights via ballot questions, rejecting court ruling

BY: - November 9, 2022

WASHINGTON — Voters in five states — including GOP-dominated Kentucky — backed abortion rights Tuesday, signaling that while the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority no longer believes the procedure is protected within the U.S. Constitution, many Americans want their states to do just that. California, Kentucky, Michigan , Montana and Vermont residents voted to support […]

Arkansas joins national maternal health care alliance

BY: - October 3, 2022

Arkansas recently became the 48th state to join a national maternal health support organization that provides evidence-based standards of medical care to pregnant people, with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Department of Health spearheading the move. States qualify for enrollment in the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) by […]

‘Abortion absolutely is healthcare’: U.S. House panel told as GOP pursues nationwide ban

BY: - September 29, 2022

A nationwide abortion ban would widen disparities in healthcare and drive up the maternal mortality rate, particularly among Black women, physicians and advocates told a U.S. House panel on Thursday. “Women’s progress has always been inextricably linked with the ability to control our own bodies,” Jocelyn Frye, the president of the National Partnership for Women […]

Most Arkansas pregnancy center grant applicants awarded requested state funds

BY: - September 26, 2022

Twelve of the 16 applicants for Arkansas’ $1 million grant program meant to assist pregnancy resource centers will receive the full amounts requested in August, according to data the state Department of Finance and Administration released Monday. Two organizations will only get some of the money they requested, and the final two will get none, […]

Pregnancy centers outline advertising plans in Arkansas grant applications

BY: - September 23, 2022

Many of the Arkansas crisis pregnancy centers that applied for state funding hope to use the money for digital advertising, including targeted ads aimed at Arkansans who might have an unplanned pregnancy, according to the applications. Applicants also hope to use a portion of the taxpayer-funded grant to pay for physical advertising, rent and utilities, […]

A pregnant woman on a couch talking to another person.

Arkansas groups seek more than $275,000 total from state fund aimed at encouraging birth

BY: - August 29, 2022

This story was updated on Aug. 31, 2022. Twelve Arkansas pregnancy resource centers are among 16 groups that applied for a share of the state’s $1 million grant program created this year to help fund crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and maternity homes. The other applicants include an adoption agency, a maternity care home, a […]

A counselor holds a pregnant woman's hands during a session.

Arkansas’ $1M pregnancy resource center grant untouched so far

BY: - August 18, 2022

Arkansas’ crisis pregnancy centers so far have declined to apply for a new $1 million grant program created by the state Legislature to help fund their operations. The application period opened Aug. 1 and ends Aug. 26, but no one has applied for the money aimed at helping those facing unintended pregnancy and encouraging them […]