OKLAHOMA CITY (LifeSiteNews) — As pro-life lawmakers and governors continue to advance a raft of laws protecting the unborn in anticipation of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, Oklahoma lawmakers have passed a sweeping new measure banning nearly all abortions in the state.
Lawmakers in Oklahoma’s House of Representatives on Thursday voted to approve the new legislation, which will prohibit the killing of “a human fetus or embryo in any stage of gestation from fertilization until birth,” with narrow exceptions.
Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, a pro-life Christian and father of six who has promised Oklahomans he would “sign every pro-life bill that hits my desk,” is expected to put his signature to the measure as early as next week.
The new bill, HB 4327, was modeled after the Texas Heartbeat Act, which utilizes a unique enforcement mechanism empowering private citizens to file lawsuits against abortion providers rather than relying on state prosecution.
RELATED: Texas becomes first state to implement ban on aborting babies with detectable heartbeats
HB 4327 was authored by Collinsville Republican Rep. Wendi Stearman, and contains exceptions if an abortion is deemed necessary to save the life of the mother, or if the unborn child was conceived in rape or incest reported to law enforcement.
Many pro-life advocates argue that there is never a circumstance in which abortion is medically necessary. Exceptions for rape and incest have also been slammed by many pro-lifers, who point out that a baby’s humanity is not contingent upon the manner in which he was conceived.
Even with its carveouts, however, the new Oklahoma legislation will still provide massive protections for the unborn in the Sooner State.
Once signed, the law is expected to be the death-knell for the remaining abortion facilities in Oklahoma.
“Two of Oklahoma’s four abortion clinics already stopped providing abortions after the governor signed a six-week ban earlier this month, and an attorney for the two other independent clinics said Thursday they will no longer offer services once the bill is signed,” the AP reported Thursday.
RELATED: Oklahoma governor warns Native American tribes not to build abortion facilities to skirt pro-life laws
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has characterized Oklahoma’s life-saving legislation as “extreme” and “ultra MAGA,” leading Gov. Stitt to blast the “failing” Biden administration for “trying to dictate and mandate behavior and using scare tactics against anyone who disagrees with their socialist agenda.”
“President Biden’s approval rating is at the lowest point of his presidency, so they’re desperate to distract from his failing administration,” Stitt said.
HB 4327 is the latest pro-life measure to advance in the state’s Republican-led legislature, which has already passed roughly half a dozen new laws protecting the unborn.
Earlier this month, Gov. Stitt signed a different bill also modeled after the Heartbeat Act, banning abortions after about six weeks gestation. In April, he signed a law which would make it a felony to kill an unborn baby though abortion, though that law will only take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion at the federal level.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law today that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/9W9cXUdm6o
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) April 12, 2022
Moves by Republican governors to severely restrict or outright ban abortion have ramped up following the unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court draft majority opinion earlier this month.
According to the leaked document, at least a 5-4 majority on the Court is angled to overturn Roe v. Wade when it rules in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case.
RELATED: Leaked majority opinion shows Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade
If the Court overturns Roe, individual states will once again be free to create their own laws regarding abortion, choosing to permit, restrict, or outright ban the practice.
While governors and lawmakers and Republican states have responded by enacting laws to protect the unborn, many Democrat leaders have moved in the opposite direction, advancing legislation to hedge against pro-life efforts and shore up protections for the abortion industry.
Source link
Author Ashley Sadler
