A new report from a leading pro-life group evaluates all 50 states on abortion, assisted suicide, and healthcare conscience protections.
Americans United for Life (AUL) has published its annual “Life List,” naming Arkansas the nation’s most pro-life state for the sixth consecutive year.
Explaining its criteria, AUL stated, “AUL looks at each state's protections for life from conception to natural death. This includes laws on abortion, legal recognition of preborn children, bioethics, assisted suicide and end-of-life patient care, and healthcare rights of conscience,” adding, “Additionally, states are awarded points for their life-affirming cultural and political landscape and momentum.”
Rounding out the top tier, Louisiana placed second, Indiana third, followed by Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Dakota, Arizona, Kentucky, Idaho, and Tennessee in tenth.
On the opposite end, AUL ranked Oregon last, with New Jersey at 49th and Vermont slipping from last year’s 50th to 48th, while Hawaii, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and New Mexico completed the 10 least pro-life states.
At a Little Rock event last Monday, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined AUL and Arkansas Family Council representatives to celebrate the state’s standing.
“Pro-life is whole life, and I'm proud that for the past six years, Arkansas has ranked number one in the nation — not just in protecting the unborn, but in preserving life from conception to natural conclusion,” Sanders said in a statement.
“I'm thankful to the activists who have fought for this day for decades and promise that as governor, I will continue to fight every day to protect the most vulnerable among us.”
Arkansas law prohibits abortion in nearly all cases, except to save the mother’s life, and Sanders has signed a ban on abortions based on an unborn baby’s race while directing $5 million to support women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Her office also highlighted broader pro-life initiatives, noting efforts to strengthen foster care and adoption, a $1 million boost to the foster placement budget earlier this year, and enactment of a law allocating $45 million for maternal health.
