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Arkansas General Assembly· HB 1551Notification that HB1551 is now Act 485

An act TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CRIMINAL ABORTION, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas           As Engrossed: H3/12/25 S3/18/25
2 95th General Assembly
                                       A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                          HOUSE BILL 1551

4

5 By: Representative Gazaway

6 By: Senator Gilmore

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8                                For An Act To Be Entitled

9             AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CRIMINAL ABORTION;

10            TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF COERCED CRIMINAL ABORTION BY

11            MEANS OF FRAUD; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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14                                Subtitle

15                       TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING CRIMINAL

16                       ABORTION; AND TO CREATE THE OFFENSE OF

17                       COERCED CRIMINAL ABORTION BY MEANS OF

18                       FRAUD.

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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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22  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 5, Chapter 61, Subchapter 1, is amended

23 to add an additional section to read as follows:

24  5-61-103. Coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud.

25  (a) As used in this section:

26            (1) "Abortion" means a chemical abortion as defined in � 20-16-

27 2502; and

28            (2)(A) "Abortion-inducing drug" means a medicine, drug,

29 combination of drugs or chemicals, or any other substance used with the

30 intent of causing an abortion including without limitation off-label use of

31 drugs known to have abortion-inducing properties, such as mifepristone, RU-

32 486, Mifeprex, Cytotec, misoprostol, and methotrexate.

33                       (B) "Abortion-inducing drug" does not include:

34                               (i) Drugs that may be known to increase the risk of

35 miscarriage, but which are prescribed for other medical indications such as

36 chemotherapeutic agents or diagnostic drugs; and

    *CEB022*                                                     03-18-2025 14:05:48 CEB022
    As Engrossed: H3/12/25 S3/18/25                                HB1551

1   (ii) Contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, or

2 methotrexate when used to treat an ectopic pregnancy.

3   (b) A person commits coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud if he

4 or she knowingly administers or gives an abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant

5 woman without her knowledge or consent with the purpose to cause an abortion.

6   (c) A person who violates subsection (b) of this section upon

7 conviction is guilty of a Class B felony.

8   (d) A prosecution under this section does not prevent prosecution

9 under another section if a person commits coerced criminal abortion by means

10 of fraud and the use of an abortion-inducing drug causes the death or bodily

11 injury of the pregnant woman or an unborn child.

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13                                   /s/Gazaway

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