AMNA NAWAZ: The Supreme Court's decision late Friday evening allows access to mifepristone for now, but confusion and questions remain over future access to abortion medication, particularly in states with some of the toughest restrictions, like Arkansas, one of seven states that quickly banned abortions after Roe was overturned last year.

Leslie Rutledge is the state's Republican lieutenant governor, and she joins us now from Little Rock.

Lieutenant Governor, welcome back to the "NewsHour," and thanks for joining us.

Let's begin with that Supreme Court decision to keep access to mifepristone in place for now.

What is your view on that?

Can people in Arkansas still legally access the drug by mail, for example?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE (R-AR): Well, it's certainly a disappointing decision by the Supreme Court.

But, in Arkansas, no, they cannot access to this abortion -- abortion-by-mail drug that the FDA had approved long ago.

And so, once again, this is a point that, in Arkansas, women, unless it is absolutely to save the life of mother, we have outlawed abortion.

That law was in place.

It was a trigger law.

Once the U.S. Supreme Court made the decision in Dobbs last June, as attorney general, last June, I certified that law that the Supreme Court had, in fact, overturned Roe v. Wade.

And our trigger law, Act 180, went into effect outlawing abortions in Arkansas.

We have saved countless lives in the last year.

I'm encouraged.

And I hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will not allow the FDA to have an overreaching impact and be able to essentially override states such as Arkansas, who have made the decision to outlaw abortion.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned it's outlawed in all cases in Arkansas, unless, of course, the life of the mother is at risk.

Do you know how many legal abortions have been performed in Arkansas since Roe was overturned?

Is that something you're tracking?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Well, to date, there are no legal abortions except to save the life of mother.

AMNA NAWAZ: correct.

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: And so that is -- right.

And so I don't know if there have been any where the mother's life has been in jeopardy.

But it's something that we certainly hope that the life of the mother and the baby are always saved.

And that's why we.... (CROSSTALK) LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: ... so hard.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let me ask you about this, because we have seen numbers from some neighboring states where abortion access has remained legal going up, Kansas and Illinois, in particular, near to your state.

One clinic in Illinois said last fall they had about three to five people with appointments every day coming from Arkansas.

So, some critics will look at your ban and say you're not actually ending abortion access.

You're just forcing people to spend thousands of dollars, travel hundreds of miles to get abortions in other states.

What do you say to that?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Well, I would hope that the leaders in Illinois would pass the same sort of laws that Arkansas has, and I would encourage them do so to protect those innocent lives of the unborn.

That these individuals, these women are making the decision to travel and to spend money in order to take the life of an innocent baby is a decision that that mother is going to - - may make and is going to have to live with for the rest of her life.

We should not make it easy.

And that's why, in Arkansas, we have, in fact, outlawed it.

And so, to my neighboring states, I would say join us in making it more difficult to take the life of an innocent baby.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lieutenant Governor, as you know, when we last spoke -- I believe it was after the leaked Dobbs opinion -- I'd asked you then how you were planning to prepare for what would surely be arise and unplanned pregnancies and births.

You said then: We're going to make sure that we have the resources necessary to take care of our kids.

So can you share with us, what specific resources have you introduced since June of last year to support pregnant women and children in Arkansas?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Well, since that decision, we have a new governor, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and a Republican legislature that passed numerous laws this year in order to protect women and children.

We have a very active pro-life pregnancy centers in the state of Arkansas that we support and encourage women to have access to those pro-life pregnancy centers.

These are -- we want women to have the opportunity to, if they are going to have that child, and we want them to, we want that child to be adopted.

We have been very supportive of adoptive and - - adoption in Arkansas, that there is more than one option for women who are pregnant.

And that option can be to have that child, to love that child, just as I love my 4-year-old, or if you're not at a point in your life where you can be a mom, someone out there really wants to have that baby and to love that baby.

So give that woman the opportunity.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lieutenant Governor, if I may, I apologize for the interruption.

I know our time is limited.

As you well know, Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country.

It has the third highest infant mortality rate.

One out of every five children in your state live in poverty.

So, I will ask again, are there specific resources you have put to any of those issues in Arkansas since Roe was overturned?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Well, our Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Human Services work very closely with those women.

We want to make sure that we -- we want to lower that mortality rate.

We want to make sure that women are healthy.

And part of that decision comes from not just simply, as they find themselves pregnant, but also making sure that they have healthy lifestyles.

And we are... AMNA NAWAZ: And, if I may, what is your plan to do that, to lower those rates?

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Well, our plan is to ensure that those women are educated, that those women understand that, when they do become pregnant, that they have access to health care, and to ensure that we have our local hospitals, as well as these pro-life pregnancy centers.

And these are hospitals all across rural Arkansas.

These are not just simply our large hospitals of Baptist and CHI St. Vincent here in the capital city, but all across rural Arkansas to make sure those women are getting the health that they need.

And we're also making sure that they understand, when they are pregnant, that their body has certain needs and to ensure that they're getting the nutrients for themselves and for that baby.

AMNA NAWAZ: Leslie Rutledge is Arkansas' Republican lieutenant governor joining us from Little Rock tonight.

Lieutenant Governor, thank you for your time.

LT. GOV.

LESLIE RUTLEDGE: Thank you.