Driving News: Legislation prohibits all abortions unless they are necessary to save a pregnant woman’s life. A person found guilty of having an abortion will face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 100,000.
Oklahoma SB 612 has no exceptions for rape or incest and is due to take effect this summer. The person receiving the abortion will not be held criminally liable.
Get the difference fast: Last week’s passage of the bill came as a surprise, as the Oklahoma State House passed it a year after it was introduced and cleared by the state Senate. Be smart: Signing the bill comes as state lawmakers consider another near-complete abortion ban, based on Texas law banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy.
This bill, HB 4327, would urge individuals to sue anyone suspected of helping a person have an abortion for at least $ 10,000. If signed into law, the bill will take effect immediately.
What they say: “I promised the Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that would fall on my desk, and that’s what we’re doing here today,” Stitt said at a rally Tuesday morning, along with several anti-abortion groups. .
“We want Oklahoma to be the most vibrant state in the country. We want to ban abortions in Oklahoma.” Stitt acknowledged the potential legal challenges ahead. Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor said he was looking forward to “defending this law.”
“A complete ban on abortion in Oklahoma is blatantly unconstitutional and will wreak havoc on the lives of people seeking abortion care in and out of the state,” said Nancy Northhap, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Health. abortion rights group. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki described the law as “the most restrictive legislation in the country governing access to reproductive health care.”
“This unconstitutional attack on women’s rights is just the latest and one of the most extreme state laws ever signed,” she added. “Make no mistake: the actions in Oklahoma today are part of a worrying national trend that attacks women’s rights, and the Biden administration will continue to stand by women in Oklahoma and across the country.”
Between the lines: Oklahoma abortion providers have seen an increase in Texas patients seeking abortion care.
Planned Parenthood clinics in the state reported a 2,500% increase in Texas patients compared to the previous year during the first four months of the state’s six-week ban. Stitt said the bill would “take care” of Texans crossing the state border to take care of abortions, adding: “We certainly do not want Texans to come to Oklahoma.”
Reduction: The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering a case that could call into question the future of Roe v. Wade – which introduced the right to abortion.
A decision on the case is expected in June.
What we are watching: The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood will challenge the law.
“We have sued the state of Oklahoma ten times in the last decade to protect access to abortion and we will challenge that law to stop this parody ever,” Northup said.
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