“I promised the Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that comes to my office and we do that today,” said Stitt, who described himself as a father of six. “We want Oklahoma to be the most vibrant state in the country. “We want to ban abortion in Oklahoma.” Stit attended the signing ceremony Tuesday morning by members of the legislature, religious leaders and a number of anti-abortion groups “in support of the protection of the lives of unborn children in Oklahoma.” He sat at the desk with a poster with the words “Life is a human right”, which was held by others behind him. The bill, which passed the Senate last year and the House earlier this month with more than 80 percent support in both houses, makes abortion a felony. Anyone convicted will face up to 10 years in prison and a $ 100,000 fine. The law makes an exception if the mother’s life is in danger, but there is no exception for rape or incest. If not blocked by the courts, the bill is scheduled to take effect this summer, when the Oklahoma House of Representatives is suspended. Unlike many other abortion bans proposed in Oklahoma at this meeting, it does not include the emergency clause that allows a bill to take effect once it is signed by the governor. The future of the bill is likely to depend on a Supreme Court ruling expected this summer, when judges rule on a 15-week Mississippi abortion ban in a case that could be overturned or significantly reduced. Roe vs. Wadethe landmark decision of 1973 guaranteeing the right to abortion at national level. From Florida to Idaho to Arizona, Republicans have moved to limit abortions, while Democratic-led states have sought to protect access to the process. Stitt told reporters he was “so excited that the Supreme Court dealt with the issue and gave it back to the states where it belongs.” Follow up on new abortion legislation in all states In recent years, three states – Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma – have enacted near-total abortion bans, all of which have been ruled out by the courts because of the challenge they pose. Roe vs. Wade. But this latest bill, passed months or perhaps weeks after the Supreme Court ruled in the Mississippi case, could be more likely to come into force. In oral debates last year, Conservative judges, who hold a 6-3 majority in court, appeared open to overthrow. Roe vs. Wade and 50 years of case law guaranteeing a fundamental right to abortion. The Supreme Court has already issued three opportunities to block a Texas law banning abortions in the state at about six weeks’ gestation and imposing enforcement through individuals rather than government officials, underscoring the court’s willingness to allow at least one state to apply a restrictive law. Since Texas enacted a law in September banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, patients from that state have been traveling to Oklahoma for abortion care. Oklahoma has treated about 45 percent of patients who have left Texas for abortion more than any other state, according to a recent study from the University of Texas at Austin. If Oklahoma stops providing abortions, women in Texas and Oklahoma will have to look for the procedure in Arkansas, Kansas or New Mexico, where clinics are already fully booked, scheduling appointments two to four weeks out. Caroline Kitchener contributed to this report.
