
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
The highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court opinion out Friday means the end of Roe v. Wade and will effectively make performing an abortion a felony in Arkansas.
State of play: The federal court's decision triggers Act 180 of 2019, which bans abortion in all cases except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency.
- There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
- Under the Arkansas law, doctors could be fined up to $100,000, face 10 years in prison or both. The law does not punish a person for receiving an abortion.
The big picture: More than half of the state's population is made up of women. A woman living in Arkansas with an unwanted pregnancy would potentially have to travel hundreds of miles to reach a health clinic or receive a prescription for pills that will start the process.
What we're watching: A contingency in the law requires the state's attorney general to confirm SCOTUS has overturned Roe v. Wade.
- In an email to Axios, a spokesperson for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge confirmed that she was prepared to review the SCOTUS opinion, but did not provide a likely time frame.

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