SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Reproductive rights activists protest then-President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh outside the nation's high court in Washington, D.C. on July 9, 2018. (Photo: Tasos Katopidis/Getty Images)
GOP Oklahoma Governor Signs Trio of 'Cruel and Unnecessary' Anti-Choice Bills Into Law
"These extreme bills are designed to cut off abortion access for people in Oklahoma—a state that already has more abortion restrictions than almost any other."
Apr 26, 2021
Reproductive rights advocates on Monday excoriated Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt after the Republican signed into law a trio of anti-choice bills they say are among the nation's most draconian.
Declaring he was keeping his "promise to sign all pro-life legislation," Stitt approved the following bills, which will take effect on November 1:
- H.B. 2241 (pdf) bans the termination of pregnancies when there is what the law calls "a detectable fetal heartbeat"--which is scientifically problematic language--except when the life of the pregnant person is in danger, "or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." There are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Violators of the law are "guilty of homicide."
- H.B. 1102 (pdf) includes the performance of an abortion under the state's "unprofessional conduct" statute, except in cases where the pregnant person's life is endangered. Penalties include, but are not limited to, suspension of offending physicians' medical licenses for at least one year.
- H.B. 1904 (pdf) mandates that physicians who perform abortions must be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Violators are subject to between one and three years of imprisonment.
Gloria Pedro, regional manager of public policy and organizing for Arkansas and Oklahoma at Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, told CNN that the fetal heartbeat law bans abortions before people may even know that they're pregnant.
"Aside from being unconstitutional, it's incredibly unfair and patronizing to women," she said. "We've seen bans like this fail time and time again, so it's a real waste of taxpayers' money and it just shows that the Legislature has their priorities wrong in the middle of a pandemic."
"When they should be working on expanding healthcare for Oklahomans, they are trying to deny healthcare and it's just cruel and unnecessary," Pedro said of state GOP lawmakers and Stitt.
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans."
--Elisabeth Smith,
Center for Reproductive Rights
Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel for state policy at the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, told the Associated Press that "these extreme bills are designed to cut off abortion access for people in Oklahoma--a state that already has more abortion restrictions than almost any other state."
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans," she added.
Other Oklahoma anti-choice bills awaiting Stitt's signature include S.B. 918 (pdf), a so-called "trigger bill" that would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling enshrining abortion as a constitutional right.
According to Planned Parenthood Action Fund, more than 200 anti-choice bills were progressing in states as of February 2021, as GOP-controlled legislatures are emboldened by the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court and anticipating what they believe is a coming reckoning over the fate of Roe v. Wade.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
us supreme courtreproductive rightsplanned parenthoodroe v. wadecenter for reproductive rightsoklahoma
Reproductive rights advocates on Monday excoriated Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt after the Republican signed into law a trio of anti-choice bills they say are among the nation's most draconian.
Declaring he was keeping his "promise to sign all pro-life legislation," Stitt approved the following bills, which will take effect on November 1:
- H.B. 2241 (pdf) bans the termination of pregnancies when there is what the law calls "a detectable fetal heartbeat"--which is scientifically problematic language--except when the life of the pregnant person is in danger, "or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." There are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Violators of the law are "guilty of homicide."
- H.B. 1102 (pdf) includes the performance of an abortion under the state's "unprofessional conduct" statute, except in cases where the pregnant person's life is endangered. Penalties include, but are not limited to, suspension of offending physicians' medical licenses for at least one year.
- H.B. 1904 (pdf) mandates that physicians who perform abortions must be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Violators are subject to between one and three years of imprisonment.
Gloria Pedro, regional manager of public policy and organizing for Arkansas and Oklahoma at Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, told CNN that the fetal heartbeat law bans abortions before people may even know that they're pregnant.
"Aside from being unconstitutional, it's incredibly unfair and patronizing to women," she said. "We've seen bans like this fail time and time again, so it's a real waste of taxpayers' money and it just shows that the Legislature has their priorities wrong in the middle of a pandemic."
"When they should be working on expanding healthcare for Oklahomans, they are trying to deny healthcare and it's just cruel and unnecessary," Pedro said of state GOP lawmakers and Stitt.
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans."
--Elisabeth Smith,
Center for Reproductive Rights
Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel for state policy at the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, told the Associated Press that "these extreme bills are designed to cut off abortion access for people in Oklahoma--a state that already has more abortion restrictions than almost any other state."
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans," she added.
Other Oklahoma anti-choice bills awaiting Stitt's signature include S.B. 918 (pdf), a so-called "trigger bill" that would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling enshrining abortion as a constitutional right.
According to Planned Parenthood Action Fund, more than 200 anti-choice bills were progressing in states as of February 2021, as GOP-controlled legislatures are emboldened by the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court and anticipating what they believe is a coming reckoning over the fate of Roe v. Wade.
Reproductive rights advocates on Monday excoriated Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt after the Republican signed into law a trio of anti-choice bills they say are among the nation's most draconian.
Declaring he was keeping his "promise to sign all pro-life legislation," Stitt approved the following bills, which will take effect on November 1:
- H.B. 2241 (pdf) bans the termination of pregnancies when there is what the law calls "a detectable fetal heartbeat"--which is scientifically problematic language--except when the life of the pregnant person is in danger, "or to avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function." There are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Violators of the law are "guilty of homicide."
- H.B. 1102 (pdf) includes the performance of an abortion under the state's "unprofessional conduct" statute, except in cases where the pregnant person's life is endangered. Penalties include, but are not limited to, suspension of offending physicians' medical licenses for at least one year.
- H.B. 1904 (pdf) mandates that physicians who perform abortions must be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Violators are subject to between one and three years of imprisonment.
Gloria Pedro, regional manager of public policy and organizing for Arkansas and Oklahoma at Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, told CNN that the fetal heartbeat law bans abortions before people may even know that they're pregnant.
"Aside from being unconstitutional, it's incredibly unfair and patronizing to women," she said. "We've seen bans like this fail time and time again, so it's a real waste of taxpayers' money and it just shows that the Legislature has their priorities wrong in the middle of a pandemic."
"When they should be working on expanding healthcare for Oklahomans, they are trying to deny healthcare and it's just cruel and unnecessary," Pedro said of state GOP lawmakers and Stitt.
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans."
--Elisabeth Smith,
Center for Reproductive Rights
Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel for state policy at the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, told the Associated Press that "these extreme bills are designed to cut off abortion access for people in Oklahoma--a state that already has more abortion restrictions than almost any other state."
"We are currently considering all our legal options to ensure that these laws do not take effect and abortion remains accessible for Oklahomans," she added.
Other Oklahoma anti-choice bills awaiting Stitt's signature include S.B. 918 (pdf), a so-called "trigger bill" that would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling enshrining abortion as a constitutional right.
According to Planned Parenthood Action Fund, more than 200 anti-choice bills were progressing in states as of February 2021, as GOP-controlled legislatures are emboldened by the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court and anticipating what they believe is a coming reckoning over the fate of Roe v. Wade.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.