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THE OKLAHOMA STATE legislature has passed a bill banning abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy – a move that also threatens to cut off access for women from the neighbouring state of Texas, which enacted a similar law last year.
The bill, which passed the Oklahoma House by a large majority, includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for cases of rape or incest.
Having already passed the Senate in March, it now goes to the Republican governor, who is widely expected to sign it.
The bill is modeled after a law currently in place in Texas which bans abortions after a heartbeat can be detected, typically around six weeks into a pregnancy, and allows members of the public to sue abortion providers as a mechanism to help enforce the measure.
With around 30 million residents, Texas is the second-largest state in the country by population.
Since its abortion law came into force last September, neighboring states like Oklahoma have been flooded with patients seeking abortions, maxing out clinics’ capacities and causing long delays.
“Oklahoma is a critical state for abortion access right now, with many Texans fleeing to Oklahoma for abortion care,” said Nancy Northup, head of the Center for Reproductive Rights, in a tweet announcing her organization’s legal challenges to the law.
“These bans would further decimate abortion access across the South,” she added.
Only a few hours after the Oklahoma House vote yesterday, the state Senate approved a different bill that would ban all abortions, regardless of the stage of pregnancy, with exception for medical emergencies, rape and incest. That bill now will wind its way through the legislature.
In addition to Texas and Oklahoma, several other Republican-controlled states, such as Florida and Mississippi, have passed laws restricting abortion.
Mississippi’s law is currently being challenged at the US Supreme Court, with a decision expected in June.
Republicans hope that the Supreme Court, which now has six conservative justices to only three liberals, will use the case to limit or even eliminate the right to an abortion, which it recognized in its landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.
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Half ten on a Sunday night, and I just did that “Quiz”. Ive just realised I might need to reevaluate how I spend my time……:(
@Gordon Larney: yeah you should have waited til twelve.
@Gordon Larney: ‘Twenty-twenty-twenty-four hours to go/I wanna be sedated/Nothing to do, nowhere to go-o-oh/I wanna be sedated…’
@Gordon Larney: It’s too late now for eleventh hour decisions
@Larry Betts: Or twenty-third hour decisions on a twenty four hour clock…
@Gordon Larney: 03:18
@Gordon Larney: Can’t win them all. I only got six right.
Anyone remember the Puma helicopter? Comments closed on Cov.
What about Iron Maiden’s “Two Minutes To Midnight”? Do metaphorical references count?
@Ken Loughman:
Ice-T’s “Midnight” is still a banging tune too (nsfw)
@Ixtrix Net: Indeed it is. I thought that they should have included the Doomsday Clock “midnight” as well.
@Ixtrix Net: Apologies – I thought that you were referring to the Iron Maiden song. I haven’t heard Ice-T’s song :)
@Ken Loughman:
I love the Iron Maiden from back then, though were a lot less heavy than my usual metal, they had great tunes. For some reason ’2 minutes to’ reminds me of Beastie Boys – Sabotage intro
Meatloaf-
midnight in the lost and found, dead souls in the hunting ground.
have your say