Oklahoma Governor Signs Near-Total Ban on Abortions
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Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed a bill on Wednesday banning almost all abortions from the moment of fertilization.
The state legislature approved the bill last week, sending it to Stitt’s desk. The law goes into effect immediately and bans abortions from the moment of fertilization except in cases of rape or incest or where the mother’s life is in danger.
The law allows private citizens to sue doctors or others who aid in procuring an abortion for up to $10,000, mimicking the enforcement mechanism in Texas’s fetal heartbeat law.
“I promised Oklahomans that as governor I would sign every piece of pro-life legislation that came across my desk and I am proud to keep that promise today. From the moment life begins at conception is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect that baby’s life and the life of the mother,” Stitt said in a statement. “That is what I believe and that is what the majority of Oklahomans believe.”
Stitt added that “if other states want to pass different laws, that is their right, but in Oklahoma we will always stand up for life.”
Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed into law the most restive abortion ban in the United States. pic.twitter.com/nDjCQcG7UI
— Storme Jones (@StormeJones) May 25, 2022
The new law comes ahead of an anticipated Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could overturn the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Oklahoma lawmakers have already passed several pro-life laws in recent months, with Stitt saying in April that he would sign “every piece of pro-life legislation that hits our desk.”
