Arkansas Supreme Court tosses pro-abortion ballot initiative

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday approved the state's rejection of a pro-abortion ballot initiative. The state rejected the initiative because organizers reportedly failed to provide proper documentation for hired signature gatherers.

Arkansans for Limited Government, which sponsored the initiative, disputed the state's contention and argued it should have received more time to provide additional documentation, the Associated Press reported.

"We find that the Secretary correctly refused to count the signatures collected by paid canvassers because the sponsor failed to file the paid canvasser training certification," the court held in a 4–3 decision.

The initiative would have allowed abortion on demand in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and abortion after that time for rape, incest, threats to maternal health, or fetal abnormalities inconsistent with life.

Planned Parenthood declined to back the initiative, viewing it as too limited.