Yesterday, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston rejected petitions to place a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would have given women the right to obtain an abortion during the first 18 weeks after fertilization, and later in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly, or to protect the mother's life or physical health. (Full text of Amendment via Arkansas Advocate reporting.) In his letter (full text via Arkansas Advocate reporting) rejecting the petitions, the Secretary of State said that proponents had failed to comply with statutory requirements to file a statement listing paid canvassers by name and stating that they had been supplied with specified information about collecting signatures. Proponents needed 90,704 signatures. Only 87,382 of the 101,525 submitted were from unpaid canvassers.
