By: Real America News Updated 26 May 2022, 1: 49 am EDT
The Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, enacted a law on Wednesday that prohibits abortions from the “fertilization” stage
and allows private citizens to sue abortion providers that “a knowingly” perform or induce an abortion “on a pregnant woman,” according to CNN.
The HB bill 4327 is among the strictest in the country on abortion and is a clear rebuke of the protections granted in the landmark case Roe v. Wade of 1973 who legalized abortion across the country.
A coalition of abortion providers and abortion rights advocates said Wednesday night they would challenge the law, which goes into effect immediately, in court and try to block it .
Depending on the size, abortions are prohibited at any stage of pregnancy, except for medical emergencies or if the pregnancy was the result of rape , sexual assault, or incest and it was reported to the police.
“I promised Oklahomans that, as Governor, I would sign every bit of pro-life legislation that came across my desk and I am proud to deliver on that promise today,” Stitt said in a statement.
Oklahoma Governor’s signing comes as Republican-led states have pushed for strict abortion measures in anticipation of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade in a case involving a to Mississippi abortion law.
Earlier this month, a leaked draft opinion written by the High Court judge Court, Samuel Alito, showed that the conservative majority court was about to annul the federal constitutional right to abortion.
The final opinion in the case has not been published, and the votes and the language may still change before that date. The opinion of the Supreme Court is not expected to be issued until the end of June.
Although many states have so-called trigger laws on their books, which ban abortions should the high court overturn Roe, the Oklahoma bill entered in force with the approval of Stitt.
Abortion rights advocates warn that Oklahoma bans would eliminate abortion access throughout the South and would be devastating not only to Oklahomans but also to Texans seeking abortion services.
You may be interested in:
– The US Supreme Court confirms the authenticity of the leaked draft that suggests the end of abortion as a constitutional right
– What is Roe vs. Wade and why he is at the center of the political battle over abortion in the US
– Louisiana: the state where Republicans expect an abortion to be punishable as homicide