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Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban into law

09 March 2021
 Dan Ackermann

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed a bill into law Tuesday banning almost all abortions in the state, except for when a pregnant person's life is in danger.

The big picture: The state joins more than a dozen others that have passed restrictive abortion measures in hopes of forcing the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

  • The bill does not include exceptions for rape or incest.

What he's saying: "SB6 is in contradiction of binding precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court, but it is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law," Hutchinson said in a statement.

  • "I would have preferred the legislation to include the exceptions for rape or incest, which has been my consistent view, and such exceptions would increase the chances for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court."
  • Nevertheless, he said he would sign the bill because of "overwhelming legislative support and my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions."

Opponents plan to challenge the sweeping measure before it takes effect later this year.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.