
Oklahoma Bans Nearly All Abortions After Fertilization

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Legislature on Thursday passed the nation’s strictest abortion law to date, banning almost all abortions from the moment of conception.
The bill itself was modeled on a law that took effect in Texas in September. Like the Texas law, it relies on citizens to enforce the ban to skirt lawsuits over states violating privacy rights.
The Texas law, however, only bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
If, as expected, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signs the bill, it would cut off an option for Texas women who have been flooding across the state border the past eight months to seek legal procedures.
Its passage comes as the nation waits for the Supreme Court to formally release its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a decision that is now expected to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established the constitutional right to an abortion.
A draft opinion leaked from the court earlier this month suggests its conversative wing had agreed to overturn Roe in a preliminary vote.
Oklahoma apparently isn’t taking any chances. In addition to the bill voted on Thursday, it also has a trigger ban on the books that would begin immediately if Roe is struck down, as well as another abortion ban that has been languishing since the Roe decision in 1973.
The measure in Oklahoma would subject abortion providers and anyone else who aids or abets a woman getting an abortion to civil suits by ordinary citizens.
If the lawsuit is successful, the plaintiff would receive awards of at least $10,000 and compensatory damages.
The Oklahoma legislation does provide some exemptions from the all-out ban, including those carried out to save the life of the unborn child or the life of the mother in a medical emergency. It also allows abortion if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest — so long as the crime has been reported to law enforcement.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
In The News
Health
Voting
In The States
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers’ plans to cast votes on concealed carry gun legislation Thursday were delayed for hours... Read More
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers’ plans to cast votes on concealed carry gun legislation Thursday were delayed for hours by surprise negotiations on the extension of mayoral control of public education and an amendment to the state constitution to protect abortion rights. When Democratic Gov.... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear an appeal from North Carolina Republicans that could ultimately remove... Read More
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear an appeal from North Carolina Republicans that could ultimately remove state court authority over congressional redistricting. If they decide for the petitioners in Moore v. Harper, the justices would dramatically limit when state courts could intervene,... Read More
COLUMBIA, S.C. — S.C. Democratic state Rep. Krystle Matthews has won the Democratic primary runoff in South Carolina and with... Read More
COLUMBIA, S.C. — S.C. Democratic state Rep. Krystle Matthews has won the Democratic primary runoff in South Carolina and with it the right to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott in November. With 99% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday afternoon, Matthews beat challenger Catherine Fleming... Read More
HOUSTON — Abortions up to around six weeks of pregnancy were permitted to resume at some clinics in Texas after... Read More
HOUSTON — Abortions up to around six weeks of pregnancy were permitted to resume at some clinics in Texas after Harris County District Court Judge Christine Weems granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday that blocks the state’s ban enacted in 1925. Texas was one of... Read More
ATLANTA — Georgia Power on Wednesday unveiled a new project with a leading U.S. producer of sustainable cement alternatives. The... Read More
ATLANTA — Georgia Power on Wednesday unveiled a new project with a leading U.S. producer of sustainable cement alternatives. The project calls for millions of tons of stored coal ash to be excavated for use in concrete to construct bridges, roads, and buildings throughout the Southeast.... Read More
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road... Read More
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio in the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S. Sixteen people were hospitalized,... Read More