The height of government intrusion?
In what may be a perfect example of truth being stranger than fiction, the Arkansas State Senate is moving forward to outlaw certain bodily modifications and skin illustrations for both adults and minors alike, as reported by The Inquisitr via Google News on Aug. 20, 2013.
In a bipartisan vote of 26-4, the state’s senate passed a proposed law that would make illegal any adult in the “The Land of Opportunity” from ever getting the increasingly popular scarification and/or dermal implant.
The process entails the burning into the skin of a design usually by either a soldering iron-like device or by branding.
Dermal implants place various ornaments under a persons skin, but a growing trend is the implanting of magnets which gives the illusion that jewelry is somehow attached without the use of a chain or backing.
The Arkansas bill also introduces a measure that would requires all incidents of underage tattooing to be reported to the state’s Department of Health. Currently, state law requires one to be at least 18 years old, and 16 or older to receive a cover-up of an existing skin illustration.
Per the proposed law, which faces a tough vote in the Arkansas House of Representatives, all scarification and implants would be illegal according to the proposed Senate Bill 387:
SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 27, Subchapter 15, is amended to add an additional section to read as follows:
20-27-1510. Prohibited practices.
An artist licensed by the Department of Health shall not perform or attempt to perform:
(1) The insertion of a dermal implant; or
(2) Scarification.
