Oklahoma Lawmakers Pass Texas-Style Abortion Ban—Second State Law Outlawing Procedure Approved This Month - Forbes
Topline
The Oklahoma legislature on Thursday passed a bill expected to become law 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—with another potentially to follow—and cutting off abortion access to both Oklahomans and Texas residents who have traveled to the state for the procedure.
Key Facts
The bill would ban all abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy except in the case of medical emergencies.
Like Texas’ controversial SB 8 law, the abortion ban can only be enforced through civil lawsuits brought against anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion in the state, rather than state officials, and plaintiffs can sue for at least $10,000 in damages.
The bill will now go to Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), who has previously said he will sign any new abortion restrictions into law, and will take effect immediately once it’s signed.
Oklahoma lawmakers are also expected to pass another abortion ban Thursday, which would similarly copy SB 8’s lawsuit enforcement provision, but go a step further and ban abortion entirely.
45%. That’s the percentage of Texas residents seeking abortions that went to Oklahoma to get an abortion between September and December 2021, after SB 8 took effect, according to a study from the University of Texas at Austin. Planned Parenthood clinics in Oklahoma report an 800% increase in Texas residents seeking abortions at their facilities, suggesting Oklahoma’s ban will also significantly impact Texans as well.
SB 1503 was passed just weeks after the Oklahoma legislature approved legislation in early April that bans all abortions in the state except for medical emergencies, and makes performing the procedure a felony punishable by a 10-year prison sentene and a $100,000 fine. That law will not take effect until August, however, and could be more likely to be struck down in court, as other similar abortion bans typically have. Oklahoma is one of a handful of GOP-led states that have taken up bills copying the Texas abortion ban, as the legislation’s lawsuit provision makes it harder to strike down in court. Texas’ law has so far withstood legal challenges because prohibiting state officials from enforcing the law makes it harder to name defendants who a court can actually block from enforcing the law. That being said, Idaho had its SB 8 copycat law blocked in state court, after becoming the first state to enact its own Texas-style abortion ban in March.
source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/04/28/oklahoma-lawmakers-pass-texas-style-abortion-ban-second-state-law-outlawing-procedure-approved-this-month/
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