Legal
Overview of Arkansas Abortion Laws
ABORTION IS LEGAL (ALLOWED) IN THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
72-hour waiting period
The State of Arkansas has a 72-hour waiting period that requires 2 visits to our office.
Arkansas requires a person seeking an abortion to wait 72 hours, between when they receive counseling and the procedure is performed. This state law requires a patient to make two separate trips to the clinic to obtain an abortion.
The “weeks gestation” is determined by ultrasound examination. Pregnancy is dated from the date of the last menstrual period (“LMP”). It is known that the time of conception is normally two weeks after the beginning of the menstrual period. One week after conception (3 weeks by the LMP) the pregnancy test becomes positive and the pregnancy can be safely terminated.
If you are interested in knowing the appearance of the fetus at various stages of pregnancy click here:
>> Abortion Decision Book - English
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How does this affect me?
If you are under 17 weeks pregnant, you will need to plan for 2 clinic visits. Your first visit will require you to sit with one of our doctors to go over the abortion procedure, side effects and the state mandated information.
After your first visit, we will schedule 72 hours out for you to come back and have the abortion performed.
If you are over 17 weeks pregnant, you will need to plan for 3 clinic visits. Your first visit will require you to sit with one of our doctors to go over the abortion procedure, side effects and the state mandated information as mentioned above.
After your first visit, we will schedule 72 hours out for you to return to the clinic to "prepare" for your abortion procedure.
On your 3rd visit, your abortion procedure will be completed.
Physician Requirement
Arkansas state requires an abortion to be performed by a licensed physician.
Abortion for Minors
Minors (under the age of 18 years old) seeking an abortion have an option to petition before a judge to be given permission for an abortion without parental notification.
If you are unable to obtain parental consent, you are able to request a court order ("Judicial bypass") from your local courthouse.
Judicial bypass is not complicated. We assist minors who choose this option, providing detailed information and instructions to make this process as easy as possible. Call us for more information.
Want to know more about Abortion State Laws and Policies go to Guttmacher Institute.
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Why Choose LRFPS
Legal
Abortion is legal (allowed) in the State of Arkansas. Patients must receive state-directed counseling and wait 72 hours before having an abortion.
Experienced
In addition, we have a team of very experienced physicians that are all medical doctors, and licensed by the state of Arkansas. Willie Parker, MD, our Medical Director has been providing abortion care for years.
Licensed
Little Rock Family Planning Services is a modern, free standing, out-patient surgical center. We provide abortion care to a wide geographical area including, Texas and Louisiana. Currently, we are the only licensed abortion clinic in the state of Arkansas.
Excellence
Medical excellence, confidentiality and state-of-the-art women’s health care provided in a SAFE setting with a compassionate and non-judgmental staff. We meet and exceed Clinical Policy Guidelines established by the National Abortion Federation.
Pregnancy Calculator
To estimate the length of your pregnancy, enter the first day of your last period in the field below, and then press ‘calculate’ to the right of it.
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