Americans United for Life (AUL) has released its annual “Life List,” which ranks the US states on how pro-life they are. Arkansas takes the top spot for the sixth year in a row. Ratings are based on “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,” stated AUL. States could also receive extra points “for their life-affirming cultural and political landscape and momentum.”

Louisiana and Indiana ranked second and third. The worst state was Oregon, with Vermont and New Jersey coming in 48^th and 49^th. Since the ruling of Roe v. Wade in 1973, Arkansas has passed 65 pro-life-related laws. In 2021, it outlawed abortion except in cases of saving a mother’s life. The law took effect in 2022 after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Governor Sanders has also allocated an additional $1 million to support foster care and adoption and $45 million to support women’s health.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged her state’s pro-life stance. “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.  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,” she said.

The state does have its detractors, with the group Arkansas Democrats calling “bragging” about being pro-life “immoral. Spokesperson Micah Wallace accused the state of overlooking vulnerable children. “Let’s get real: there’s nothing pro-life about forcing women to give birth, especially when we know some of those new moms will die totally unnecessarily,” said Wallace. “And there’s nothing pro-life about letting innocent children suffer and starve. Arkansas deserves more than press conference publicity stunts. We deserve better.” Wallace cited the state’s high maternal mortality rate and claimed that 1 in 4 Arkansan children go to bed hungry. However, Jerry Cox, President of Arkansas Family Council, celebrated the state’s designation. “Today, Americans United for Life recognized the many pro-life laws and policies our state has enacted over the years,” he said. “Arkansans should be proud of their state legislators for passing the best laws in the nation when it comes to protecting unborn children, the elderly, the disabled, and the terminally ill. That’s something to celebrate.”