Gov. Mike Beebe told reporters today that Sen. Jason Rapert‘s bill banning abortion after 12 weeks was “even more problematic” than Rep. Andy Mayberry’s bill, which Beebe announced today that he would veto.
Beebe said he would wait for Rapert’s bill to reach his desk but added that it would “be kind of naive not to acknowledge [that] I’m pretty sure I know what I’m going to do on a bill that’s even more problematic than the one I already vetoed. But I won’t tell you officially until that time.”
As for the veto of Rep. Andy Mayberry‘s bill banning abortions after 20 weeks, Beebe reiterated that he believed the law was unconstitutional and hoped that his statement released today would “send the right message” to members, who can override the veto with a simple majority.