Bill criminalizing abortion heads to Oklahoma governor's desk

On Thursday morning, the Oklahoma Senate passed a measure that would make performing abortion “unprofessional conduct” and a felony in the state. Any physician convicted of assisting in an abortion would face one to three years in prison and the revocation of his or her medical license.

The bill includes an exception to save the mother’s life.

SB 1552 is the Oklahoma legislature’s second attempt this year to criminalize abortion through all stages of pregnancy. As WORLD previously reported, the Health and Human Services committee passed SB 1118 in March, but support for that bill floundered after a subsequent wording change designated abortion as first degree murder. Republican leadership in the state Senate prevented SB 1118 from making it to the floor for a vote.

But both Sooner State legislative bodies registered strong support for the new bill. The House passed SB 1552 on April 21 by a 59-9 vote (with 33 “excused”). On Thursday, 33 senators voted in favor of the bill, with 12 opposed (and 3 “excused”).

The Center for Reproductive Rights said the bill, which will take effect Nov. 1 if Gov. Mary Fallin signs it into law, would be the “most extreme abortion law in this country since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.” Even some pro-life pundits noted courts have overturned less stringent anti-abortion measures.

But the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Nathan Dahm, said he and the legislators who voted with him feel they are doing the right thing.

“I believe it’s a core function of state government to defend life from the beginning of conception,” Dahm said.

If Fallin signs the bill, Oklahoma is sure to drop even farther down NARAL Pro-Choice America’s “report card” of abortion-friendly states. Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 43 out of 50 and boasts an F grade.