Oklahoma Legislature Passes Bill Banning Almost All Abortions
Source: New York Times
The Oklahoma Legislature gave final approval on Thursday to a bill that prohibits nearly all abortions starting at fertilization, which would make it the nations strictest abortion law. The bill is modeled on one that took effect in Texas in September, which has relied on civilian instead of criminal enforcement to work around court challenges. But it goes further than the Texas law, which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
The bill subjects abortion providers and anyone who aids or abets an abortion to civil suits from private individuals. It would take effect immediately upon signature by Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who has pledged to make his state the most anti-abortion in the nation. The Republican-led Legislature has assisted him, passing ban upon ban in an attempt to outlaw abortion entirely. Together, they have put Oklahoma at the head of the pack of Republican-led states rushing to pass laws that restrict or prohibit abortion in anticipation that the Supreme Court is soon likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion.
A leaked memo written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. along with oral arguments in the case at hand, a Mississippi law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy indicated that the court was prepared to do so. If signed by the governor, the Oklahoma bill would cut off another option for Texas women who had been flooding across the state border to seek legal procedures, and it seeks to punish even those from out of state who assist Oklahoma women in getting abortions.Oklahoma already has a trigger ban that would immediately ban abortion if the court overturns Roe, as well as a ban on abortion that has remained on the books since before the Roe decision in 1973.
Two weeks ago, just after the leak of the memo, Mr. Stitt signed a six-week ban closely modeled on the Texas legislation. The previous month he had signed one that will take effect in late August, outlawing abortion entirely except to save the life of the mother. The bill passed on Thursday attempts to combine two approaches: banning abortion entirely and using civilian enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Supreme Court both declined to block the Texas law because it relies on civilian rather than the state enforcement.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/us/oklahoma-ban-abortions.html
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)Aviation Pro
(12,167 posts)Until they prove they have the financial resources and mental stability to father children.
Runningdawg
(4,516 posts)Marius25
(3,213 posts)Runningdawg
(4,516 posts)But now it will be MANDATORY to receive public assistance. Not that I think any of us will be online in 5 years....but please, prove me wrong
pwb
(11,265 posts)All of them think they are so clever, but we shall see who is right come November.
Thunderbeast
(3,411 posts)Stitt has warned them not to, but similar threats against casinos and tobacco sales were toothless.
Mifepristone and misoprostol should be made readily available along with comfortable hotel rooms for recovery in case Oklahoma's Christofasciest laws would punish a miscarriage at home.
retiredgeek
(34 posts)Yep weve got some of the most out of touch politicians here in Oklahoma you have ever seen. They dont even pretend to listen to what the people might want anymore. Their attitude is that We will tell you what to do and you will di it because god said so. This is what happens when you get one party control over in a bible thumper state like Oklahoma.
Wait until these old white guys decide to ban birth control, try to mandate what days you can have sex and what positions are acceptable...dont laugh, these clowns here might just try it.
Skittles
(153,160 posts)it's like the red states are in a never-ending race to the bottom
riversedge
(70,218 posts)families each passing day.
sakabatou
(42,152 posts)Marthe48
(16,959 posts)Heard on the news today that Ark and Tenn undercounted population in Census. So did 4 other states. A couple states had overcounts.
If enough people leave the backwards states, they could lose House seats. We could hope.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/19/1099810793/census-undercount-by-state-arkansas-florida-illinois-mississippi-tennessee-texas
Runningdawg
(4,516 posts)and banning all abortions, with penalties more wide ranging than TX.
Probably rumor, but you never know with OK, but I also heard they had drafted a bill to block any website that advertises abortion services or redirects women to services in other states or outside the US.
How does OK (legally) block Google?
BumRushDaShow
(128,979 posts)and the hope is that the courts will strike some of this down.
They don't have authority over interstate commerce (e.g., "internet" or "broadcasts" ).
Beacool
(30,247 posts)"Pro-life conservatives are obsessed with the fetus from conception to 9 months. After that, they don't wanna know about you. They don't wanna hear from you. No nothing! No neonatal care, no daycare, no Head Start, no school lunch, no food stamps, no welfare, no nothing. If you're pre-born, you're fine, if you're preschool, you're fucked." As usual, he was correct. The GOP's middle name should be HYPOCRISY!!
roamer65
(36,745 posts)Time for the State of Sequoyah to happen.