Abortion is outlawed in Oklahoma

It is likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of abortion access this summer, therefore Oklahoma became the latest state to limit access to it before of the court’s expected judgement.

When Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt swore that he would sign any pro-life law that came his way, “and that’s what we are doing here today,” he added.

Abortion providers may face up to 10 years in jail and up to $100,000 in penalties if the bill goes into force this summer, 90 days after the parliamentary session finishes. Only if the mother’s life is in danger is an exception made.

Despite Supreme Court precedent, which protects abortion until foetal viability, commonly regarded by experts to mean 24 weeks of pregnancy, the statute is in direct contravention to this precedent. Since the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, no state has been able to implement a complete prohibition on abortion.

“We’re really happy” about the Supreme Court addressing this problem and returning it to the states where it belongs, Stitt said, acknowledging that the law would certainly be contested in court.

In Oklahoma, “we want to ban all abortions,” Stitt remarked. “This should be a state-wide problem.”

Courts are likely to rule this summer on a Mississippi abortion law that prohibits the practise beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy. Roe may either be overturned or significantly weakened by a ruling on the Mississippi case, according to experts.

The governor’s move comes at a time when the GOP-controlled legislature is also debating two additional abortion prohibitions. While the new legislation relies on a Texas-style enforcement system, the other proposals would deputise citizens to police them instead. Instead of criminal charges, they choose to file civil lawsuits against healthcare professionals and others.

Due to the Texas abortion prohibition, Oklahoma has seen an influx of patients seeking abortions outside of the state. In a research conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, 45 percent of all abortions performed outside of Texas have been given by Oklahoma. This new piece of law, according to Stitt, is a way to “curb” that tendency.

Abortion-rights advocates fear that Oklahoma might be the next state to go to war over this issue.

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