Oklahoma’s Supreme Court labels 2 abortion bans unconstitutional in 6-3 ruling
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Wednesday against two state laws, SB1603 and HB4327, that would put tighter restrictions on the state’s abortion laws.
The high court ruled 6-3, with the majority saying the laws were unconstitutional because the pregnancy would have to be deemed a “medical emergency” for a doctor to perform an abortion.
This contradicts the state’s previous ruling in March that a woman has a right to an abortion in order to protect her life without having to specify it’s a medical emergency.
Most abortions, however, remain illegal in Oklahoma.
The Associated Press reported that news of the ruling was a relief to the medical professionals in the state who have previously turned patients away until their symptoms were severe enough for them to legally be able to perform the abortion.
“In our practice, we had cases where we would just have to tell women who we would normally offer a (pregnancy) termination to protect her health ... ‘We have to let you go home and monitor your condition and if you start showing signs of infection or worsening blood pressure, then come back and we have the ability to legally treat you,’” Dr. Dana Stone, an Oklahoma City obstetrician and gynecologist, told AP.
“Otherwise, we’re at risk with these laws of going to jail for 10 years, having hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and losing our medical licenses,” she added.
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The law that was overturned on Wednesday would have given citizens the right to sue an individual if they discovered they received an abortion or aided someone in receiving one.
“Despite the court’s decisions today on SB 1603 and HB 4327, Oklahoma’s 1910 law prohibiting abortion remains in place. Except for certain circumstances outlined in that statute, abortion is still unlawful in the State of Oklahoma,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said, per The Hill.
