The governor’s office declined to comment Tuesday, but the bill’s lead author, GOP Sen. Nathan Dahm, told CNN that he and the governor had previously spoken about the bill and Stitt had said he would sign it. The law does not provide for exceptions in cases of rape and incest. According to the bill, the woman will not be charged or convicted for the death of her “unborn child”. The measure will not prohibit the use, sale, prescription or administration of contraceptives. Lawmakers had worked closely on the bill with the national anti-abortion group Students for Life, which celebrated the bill’s final vote on Tuesday. Republican lawmaker Jim Olsen, the bill’s lead author, told CNN he believed rape and incest were “horrible crimes” and that although the baby had been arrested in a “horrific situation”, he still had the right to life. “The baby should not be responsible for the father’s sins,” he said. “It’s still life.” The passage of the bill coincided with the protest of abortion rights defenders on Tuesday in the Oklahoma State Capitol against the restrictive abortion bills being considered at this legislative session. Emily Wales, the interim president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, who took part in the protest, told CNN that Tuesday’s bill marks the most restrictive abortion bill passed at this legislative session. Wales said it expects the governor to sign the bill and provide for a legal challenge. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund said SB 612, if allowed to take effect, would be “catastrophic” for Oklahoma residents as well as Texans, who make up about half of all Oklahoma abortion patients. “Now, the people of Oklahoma could face a future where they would have no place in their state to seek this basic health care,” the group said in a press release. “Emily, this is what we see in many Republican-controlled states: a Republican movement using unconstitutional legislation like the Legislature,” Emily Virginia, a Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, said in a statement Tuesday. to distract from the real challenges. are facing our citizens “. “As elected leaders, we should focus on expanding access to health care, protecting public education and addressing infrastructure needs, but instead Republicans are more interested in repeating Supreme Court rulings by the legislature. of the state. “These bills are hurting people, wasting taxpayers’ resources and not bringing us closer to our common goal of a better tomorrow.” The Oklahoma State Senate is also considering legislation, House Bill 4327, which is based on a controversial Texas law that allows enforcement through private civil lawsuits. This bill would also prohibit most abortions anywhere in pregnancy and would allow individuals to enforce the law through civil disputes. This story has been updated in more detail on Tuesday.
