The Feminist Union (FemU) called for abortion rights, menstrual education and more in its first Women’s Rights Rally at the Craighead County Courthouse 

Acting as an end-of-month event for Women’s History Month, the rally also focused on exemptions for feminine products in sales and use tax and had numerous petitions circulating. 

FemU president Chris Smith, a junior history and communication studies double major from Cabot, Arkansas, said the main focus of the rally was the abortion amendment, which would allow abortion to occur within the first 18 weeks and allows exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. 

“The reason we are pushing for that to be back on the ballot is because we believe that Arkansans should be able to decide as to whether or not we allow abortion,” Smith said. “It should not be a select few down in Little Rock that gets to make the decision for tens and thousands of Arkansans who aren’t in Little Rock.”

The petitions at the rally were the Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment of 2024 and The Arkansas Government Disclosure Act of 2024, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, an act to exempt feminine products and diapers from sales and use tax, an initiative petition to approve or reject the Arkansas abortion amendment and the Arkansas educational rights amendment of 2024. 

The abortion amendment garnered 67 signatures and AR Period Poverty gathered 103 names for their petition on menstrual education and exemption for feminine products for sales and use tax. Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment petition received 90 signatures and medical marijuana received at least 50 names on its petition. 

An estimated 50 to 100 people attended, including protestors, guest speakers and political candidates. Throughout the rally, many organizations and their leaders attended for tabling, including Arkansans For Limited Government (ArLiberty), AR Kids, Arkansas Abortion Support Network and Arkansas Period Poverty Project.

Shannie Jackson, a sophomore social work major from Conway, Arkansas, leads the Arkansas Period Poverty Project. 

The group aims to end stigma and period poverty through donations, education, and legislation. It collects period products and donates them to schools, churches, libraries, and boys and girls clubs.

“We are doing our petition which is to remove the sales and use taxes on period products and diapers for adults and children, as well as working on menstrual education,” Jackson said.

During the rally, Emily Freeman, a FemU member, attended the rally to show her support for women’s rights and to promote her message alongside Jackson’s initiatives.

Freeman, a first-year psychology major from Bryant, Arkansas, joined the FemU earlier this year and heard about the rally through Smith at their previous FemU meeting, where they prepared signs.

“There’s power in words. You have to talk. You have to be the voice,” Freeman said. “That’s the biggest thing to me, is getting out there and having people look at us and to just bring awareness.”

ClaudiaMarie Sharp, a sophomore history education major from El Dorado, Arkansas, is a member of FemU and attended Saturday’s rally because “numbers always help a turnout” when it comes to advocating for women’s rights. 

“Knowledge is power. Getting the word out there is important, and right now, we are signing petitions today and getting other people to sign the petitions, too,” Sharp said. 

The FemU’s Women’s Rights Rally ended with special guest speakers Alison Sweatman (a running candidate for Arkansas State Senate for District 20), Allison Guthrie (a Little Rock signature collector for the abortion amendment), Erika Askeland, Dean McDonald and Rebekah Pruitt (a transwoman activist).

Dean McDonald, a graduate student studying public administration from Paragould, Arkansas, spoke out on the importance of abortion access in Arkansas and endorsed/promoted Askeland.

“My rights are not on the line, I am here because Arkansas is not a safe place for my sisters, for my mother and for whenever I have daughters. It’s not safe for my non-binary and trans friends,” McDonald said. 

Askeland, a running candidate for Arkansas State Senate for District 20, spoke about Arkansans’ right to vote for abortion in November, as well as looking at Arkansans’ history with women voting.

“At this point, we are in a position where women outnumber men to who are registered and to who are actually voting. We outnumber men and it is time for us to show up to the polls,” Askeland said. “We do have a near total abortion ban in Arkansas and we need to do everything we can in our power to stand up.”

Categories: News