Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed a bill nearly outlawing abortion in his state.
Oklahoma’s S.B. 612 states, “A person shall not purposely perform or attempt to perform an abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.”
It continues, “A person convicted of performing or attempting to perform an abortion shall be guilty of a felony punishable by a fine not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), or by confinement in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term not to exceed ten (10) years, or by such fine and imprisonment.”
According to the bill, the woman would not be held responsible for the death of her unborn child.
Stitt said on Tuesday, “I promised Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that hit my desk, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
He added, “We want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country.”
The governor explained, “We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma.”
Stitt acknowledged the bill will “be challenged immediately by liberal activists from the coast who always seem to want to come in and dictate and mandate and challenge our way of life.”
He continued, “The most important thing is to take a stand and protect the unborn and protect life.”
Watch Stitt’s comments below:
Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) just signed into law a near-total abortion ban:
— The Recount (@therecount) April 12, 2022
"I promised Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that hit my desk … We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma." pic.twitter.com/Nqfi8Rq95I
Emily Wales, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, said in a statement the organization will “fight back against these cruel bans in court because people shouldn’t have to cross state lines in secret to access care that should be available in their communities.”
The signing comes a little more than a month after the Texas Supreme Court shut down a federal challenge to the state’s abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy, as The New York Times reported.
Nancy Northup, the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, “With this ruling, the sliver of this case that we were left with is gone.”
Texas’ attorney general, Ken Paxton, praised the ruling.
“This measure, which has saved thousands of unborn babies, remains fully in effect, and the pro-abortion plaintiffs’ lawsuit against the state is essentially finished,” Paxton said.
The Times noted the ban in Texas reduced the number of abortions in the state by 60%.
