Oklahoma Enacts Texas-Style 6-Week Abortion Ban

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill on Tuesday that prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a move that threatens to severely restrict abortion access for both Oklahomans and Texans who have traveled to Oklahoma since their state passed a similar ban last year.

The Oklahoma Heartbeat Act was signed by Stitt on Tuesday after the state Senate passed it in March.

The law prohibits abortions if a physician can detect a fetal heartbeat after six weeks of pregnancy, but not if the baby is raped or incest.

Private citizens are allowed to file civil lawsuits against anyone who aids or abets an abortion, not including women who receive the procedure.

The near-total abortion ban signed by Stitt last month won't take effect until August.

A group of Oklahoma abortion providers filed a challenge against the law in state court last week. The law was called a "bounty-hunting scheme" by one of the providers.

The repercussions will likely extend beyond Oklahoma if the case goes to court. In the four months following the start of Texas' six-week abortion ban, more than 50% of all abortion patients who visited the organization's Oklahoma clinics hailed from Texas, up from 10% over the same period in 2020.

Tangent

Oklahoma is the third state to pass a six-week abortion ban, following Texas and Idaho, though Idaho's Supreme Court halted the law last month.

Stitt signed Oklahoma's new abortion bill less than a day after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion said the high court would strike down the 49-year-old decision guaranteeing abortion rights in all 50 states. The draft was confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts, who said it doesn't necessarily reflect the court's final decision. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has appeared more open to allowing states to restrict abortion access. The Texas law is enforced by government officials so it is difficult to find one that doesn't.