Republican lawmakers in the Oklahoma Legislature have passed an anti-abortion bill subjecting it to criminal prosecution in most cases. Under the Draconian bill, any person who does an abortion will face imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of $100,000. The bill initially went through the state Senate in 2021. It was abruptly revived by the Oklahoma legislature without any explanation.
From the Oklahoma legislature, the bill now moves to Republican Governor Kevin Stitt who has already committed his support for the bill and declared that he would sign any anti-abortion law pushed through by the Oklahoma legislature.
Kevin Stitt had earlier declared himself the most pro-life of the governors in America. Once signed by Gov. Stitt, the bill would be effective 90 days following the adjournment of the state legislature in May. It can only be held up if courts agree to intervene.
Anti-Abortion Bill Passed By Oklahoma Legislature Could Be Overturned By State Supreme Court
Rights groups have already indicated that they will go for legal a challenge to the bill passed by the Oklahoma legislature, which they consider unconstitutional.
The Roe v. Wade case of 1973 recognizes the fundamental right of a pregnant woman to go for an abortion. The Supreme Court though had ruled then that American states were free to impose their own laws to protect the fetus’s potential life and the health of the pregnant woman.
Such legal challenges are expected to be successful as the bill bears resemblance to similar laws that were passed by the Oklahoma legislature but were recently dismissed by the state’s Supreme Court. These include laws restricting medication abortion, laws aimed at suspending the license of medical specialists who conduct an abortion, and the ban on abortions for women who are over 6 weeks pregnant.
But the bill pushed through by the Oklahoma legislature is expected to turn if SCOTUS overturns the Roe v. Wade ruling.
Rabia Muqaddam of the Center for Reproductive Rights said that the bill passed by the Oklahoma Legislature was clearly unconstitutional and went against the multiple ruling by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma that said that any attempts to ban abortion was illegal and unconstitutional.
