WASHINGTON — Today, the Republican-controlled legislature in Oklahoma passed the strictest abortion ban in the country, going even further than the Texas law the bill is modeled after. After it receives the governor’s signature, the legislation will ban almost all abortions in the state with exceptions only for survivors of rape and incest who have reported the crime to law enforcement, which not all victims are able to do. Additionally, the bill will allow lawsuits to be brought against medical providers and anyone willingly involved in helping a person obtain an abortion. This legislation comes in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court decision that Roe will be overturned this summer.
“Republican legislatures aren’t waiting on the Supreme Court — they’re working to ban abortion and criminalize doctors right now,” said DLCC vice president of communications Gabrielle Chew. “This extreme Oklahoma legislation is just the latest example of the GOP’s assault on women’s rights as they race to ban abortion across the country. The federal government and the courts are not coming to save us. Democrats need to get serious about funding and supporting state legislative races in order to defend reproductive freedom.”
Oklahoma joins a slew of states putting into place heinous abortion bans that will endanger Americans. If the Supreme Court guts Roe, 26 states are expected to ban abortion because of new restrictions passed by Republican-controlled legislatures or pre-existing abortion bans that would go into effect. The DLCC has launched the “States to Save Roe” campaign to help Democrats and the DLCC fight back against Republican attacks on abortion rights. It will also aid in our ability to protect Democratic chambers that serve as a firewall for access to reproductive health care and services.
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