Add Arkansas to the list of states where the governor has banned abortions along with, other non-essential medical procedures, to help fight the coronavirus by conserving medical supplies.

Governor Asa Hutchinson released a letter via the Arkansas state health department on Friday that all health care facilities postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In his statement the Governor said that all ambulatory surgical centers and all abortion facilities are included.

On Saturday afternoon, state Senator Trent Garner posted a copy of the letter and thanked Governor Hutchinson for issuing the ban and including abortion centers in it.

“Thank you to @AsaHutchinson for listening to our concerns and shutting down elective abortions. We must put the safety of Arkansans 1st, and preserve PPE for real medical needs. The clinics have to follow the law, or risk the safety of many,” he tweeted.

The purpose of these directives is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for use by those engaged in serving the needs of COVID-19 patients.

Representatives of over 30,000 physicians have responded to the claims of pro-abortion medical groups that elective abortions are “essential healthcare.” In their response, the 30,000 physicians point out that “elective abortion treats no disease process” and “[c]ontinuing to perform elective abortions during a pandemic is medically irresponsible.”

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In addition, the physicians point out that “Elective abortion is neither ‘essential’ nor ‘urgent,’ but it does consume critical resources such as masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, and unnecessarily exposes patients and physicians to pathogens. Elective abortion, both surgical and drug induced, also generates more patients to be seen in already overburdened emergency rooms.” They indicated that 5% of women who undergo medication (chemical) abortions end in an emergency room, usually for hemorrhage.

Last week, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb banned abortions in the state in order to preserve medical resources to help fight the coronavirus. Governor Holcomb has issued orders calling for a halt to all elective and non-urgent surgical procedures in Indiana and he included abortion clinics in the new emergency orders related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia issued a similar order.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily halted a lower court ruling that stopped Texas officials from banning abortions to help conserve medical resources to combat the coronavirus.

Although the situation is fluid, here are the latest reports from LifeNews.com on the status of abortion and orders to stop non-essential medical services: