Abortion in Oklahoma
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Abortion in Oklahoma is legal under United States law, following the decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.[1] In 1992, the Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey upheld the legality of abortion but granted states permission to create restrictions, so long as they did not create an "undue burden" for women who sought abortion.[2]
Oklahoma is among the most hostile states in the U.S. to abortion rights. Women in Oklahoma are subject to a 72 hour wait to access abortion care, informed content forms required by the Oklahoma state government mandate that abortion providers to lie about the side effects of medical and surgical abortions, and in many cases physicians are protected from repercussions if they lie to pregnant patients about the health of a pregnancy to prevent her from seeking abortion (HB 2656, passed in 2010). 2016 was the first legislative session in over a decade that did not see an abortion restriction pass. In 2016, Oklahoma legislators approved Senate Bill 1118, which would criminalize abortion providers and charge them with first degree murder.[3][4] The felony would be punishable by up to three years imprisonment, and the doctor would lose their medical license.[5] Critics denounce the bill as breaking federal law that permits women to seek an abortion.[5] If enacted, opponents of the measure have promised to challenge its constitutionality in the courts.[6] On May 20, 2016, Governor Mary Fallin vetoed the bill before it could become law, citing its wording as too vague to withstand a legal challenge.[7]
The 2017 legislative session dealt a few particularly restrictive anti-choice policies. A law called the Humanity of the Unborn Act, which would have approved government mandated signage in public women's restrooms across the state, was revised only to require additional signage in abortion clinics. State Rep. Justin Humphrey proposed legislation that would require a pregnant woman to ask her sexual partner for permission to access abortion care. State Rep. George Faught authored legislation to ban abortion in the event of fetal genetic abnormalities, without exceptions for rape or incest. When pressed on his lack of exemptions he doubled down stating that rape is the will of God: “Rape and incest, is that an act of God or not? Well, it’s an act of sin. We live in a sinful world. Men and women do horrible things, but God can bring beauty out of ashes. And he has time and time again.” -Oklahoma State Rep. George Faught
Oklahoma Abortion Providers
Currently, the state of Oklahoma has four abortion providing clinics: Abortion Surgery Center, South Wind Women's Center, Planned Parenthood, and Reproductive Services.
References
- ^ Harper, Cynthia C.; Henderson, Jillian T.; Darney, Philip D. (2005-01-01). "Abortion in the United States". Annual Review of Public Health. 26 (1): 501–512. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144351. PMID 15760299.
- ^ Whitman, Chris (2002-01-01). "Looking Back on Planned Parenthood v. Casey". Michigan Law Review. 100 (7): 1980–1996. doi:10.2307/1556082. JSTOR 1556082.
- ^ "Oklahoma bill proposes abortion providers face murder charges". KFOR.com. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ "Oklahoma bill to jail abortion doctors heads to governor". Reuters. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ a b The Editorial Board (2016-04-25). "Oklahoma's Unabashed Attack on Abortion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ "Oklahoma lawmakers approve bill to revoke licenses of abortion doctors". Reuters. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ "Gov. Fallin vetoes bill that would make performing an abortion a felony". KFOR.com. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
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