ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — Governor Asa Hutchinson signed SB6 Tuesday, March 9, which bans abortion in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother.

In a statement, the governor said in part, “I will sign SB6 because of overwhelming legislative support and my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions. SB6 is in contradiction of binding precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court … but it is in the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law.”

The governor said he would have preferred the bill to include exceptions for rape and incest.

The measure, titled “Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act,” was introduced by Senator Jason Rapert and Senator Mary Bently.

“I thank Gov. Hutchinson for signing the bill and putting Arkansas in a position to lead the country in the fight to end abortion,” Rapert said.

Gloria Pedro, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, said it’s a disgrace.

“This is not how the courts, how any of this works,” Pedro said. “You can’t just write a bill and tell [the U.S. Supreme Court] what to do, but leave it to the Arkansas legislature.”