Arkansas Named Most Pro-Life State in America for Sixth Year in a Row

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - On Monday, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined Americans United for Life and the Arkansas Family Council to announce that Arkansas ranked the most pro-life state in America for the sixth year in a row, according to annual rankings released by Americans United for Life. The pro-life organization ranks all 50 states based on state laws that protect the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, and the terminally ill.

"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," said Governor Sanders. "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."

"Today, Americans United for Life recognized the many pro-life laws and policies our state has enacted over the years. 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," said Arkansas Family Council President Jerry Cox.

Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Arkansas has passed more than 65 laws to protect the dignity of human life, including prohibiting abortion except to save the mother's life in 2021 - a law that became effective when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe through the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Center decision in 2022.

Governor Sanders has signed additional laws to strengthen Arkansas' pro-life protections, including Act 973 of 2025 to prohibit abortions performed due to an unborn child's race, Act 485 of 2025 to prohibit giving a pregnant woman abortion drugs without her consent, Acts 1006 of 2025, Act 125 of 2024, and Act 622 of 2023 to provide $5 million to support women with unplanned pregnancies.

The Governor has worked to improve Arkansas' foster care and adoption landscape, signing an Executive Order at the beginning of her administration bringing together foster care advocates from around the state to craft recommendations that her administration is now quickly implementing and adding $1 million to the foster placement budget earlier this year. For the first time since data has been collected, there are now fewer than 200 kids waiting for adoption in the entire state.

Additionally, in 2025, Governor Sanders signed the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act to direct $45 million to promote maternal health. She has made Arkansas a national leader on education reform, provided additional food to struggling children and families, and united faith groups, nonprofits, and the government around moving Arkansans from crisis to career through the 10:33 Initiative.

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