The bill, HB 4327, is among the strictest on abortion in the nation and is a clear rebuke to the protections provided in the remarkable Rowe v. Wade case of 1973, which legalized abortion across the country. Proponents of abortion rights have vowed to challenge the law, which will take effect immediately.
According to the measure, abortions are prohibited at any stage of pregnancy, except in medical emergencies or if the pregnancy is the result of rape, sexual violence or incest and is reported to law enforcement.
The law defines “fertilization” as “the merging of a human sperm with a human egg.” Although the bill considers that pregnancy begins with fertilization and not with implantation, the bill does not restrict the use of forms of contraception that prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. According to the bill, abortion “does not involve the use, prescription, administration, acquisition or sale of Plan B, morning-after pills or other contraceptives or emergency contraception.”
After signing the bill, Stew said in a statement, “I promised the people of Oklahoma that as governor I would sign every life-saving bill that comes to my desk, and I’m proud to keep that promise today.”
“From the moment life begins at conception is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect this baby’s life and the mother’s life,” Stew continued, adding that “if other countries want to accept different laws, that’s their right, but in Oklahoma we will always stand up for life. “
The governor’s signature comes as Republican-led states impose tough abortion measures in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Rowe in a Mississippi abortion law case. A draft opinion earlier this month, written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, showed that the Conservative majority court is ready to overturn maintaining a federal constitutional right to abortion.
The final opinion on the case has not been published, and the voices and language may still be changed before then. The opinion is expected to be issued only at the end of June.
Although many states have so-called trigger laws in their books that ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Rowe, the Oklahoma bill went into effect after Stet’s approval.
Stew had already signed a law on two controversial abortion measures this year, including one modeled on the Texas Abortion Act, which allows private citizens to file a civil lawsuit against abortion providers to enforce the law. In April, the governor of Oklahoma signed an almost total ban on abortion in a law that makes abortion illegal in the state, except in the case of emergency medical care. This law will come into force this summer if it is not blocked by the court.
Proponents of abortion rights warn that bans in Oklahoma will cut off access to abortion across the South and will be devastating not only to Oklahoma residents but also to Texans seeking abortion care in the state.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Rebecca Rhys, Jeremy Grisham and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
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