There was an update on April 28, 2022, 12:09pm.
The Oklahoma legislature on Thursday passed a bill that restricts most abortions and copies provisions of Texas' controversial near-total ban on the procedure, marking the second major abortion ban the state has passed this month.
There is a protest outside of the US Supreme Court.
The Oklahoma Senate passed the bill in a 68-12 vote.
The bill would only allow abortions in the case of medical emergencies.
The abortion ban in Texas can only be enforced through civil lawsuits, rather than state officials.
The bill will go to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has previously said he will sign any new abortion restrictions into law.
The Oklahoma Legislature is expected to pass another abortion ban on Thursday, which would go a step further and ban abortion completely.
45%. The percentage of Texas residents who went to Oklahoma to get an abortion after the passage of Senate Bill 8 was found by the University of Texas at Austin. The increase in Texas residents seeking abortions at the Oklahoma clinics is evidence that the ban will have an impact on Texans as well.
A state of emergency exists in Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempre Greg Treat, who introduced the bill.
The Oklahoma legislature passed a bill in April that made performing an abortion a felony and made it a crime to have one. The law won't take effect until August and could be struck down in court, as other similar abortion bans typically have. One of the reasons Oklahoma has taken up bills copying the Texas abortion ban is because the legislation's lawsuit provision makes it harder to strike down in court. Texas law has so far withstood legal challenges because it makes it harder to name defendants who a court can block from enforcement of the law. Idaho became the first state to impose a Texas-style abortion ban in March, but its copycat law was blocked in state court.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule by late June or early July in a case concerning Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, which could result in the court allowing states to restrict abortion or even ban it entirely. The impending ruling, which conservative justices signaled during the hearing in the case is likely to be in Mississippi's favor, has led to Republican lawmakers passing a slew of abortion restrictions in preparation. In addition to Oklahoma, Kentucky lawmakers also passed a suite of abortion bans that effectively banned the procedure, which a court has now blocked, as well as 15-week bans similar to the Mississippi law have also been enacted in Arizona and Florida.
The Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill that makes performing an abortion a felony.
Idaho has enacted a law that is similar to the abortion ban in Texas.
Clinics in Oklahoma are bracing for an abortion ban.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
