Oklahoma Governor Gets Bill Banning All Abortions

The Washington Post reports:

The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday approved a Republican bill that would outlaw abortion, putting the state on track to be the first in the nation to enact a total abortion ban once the GOP governor signs the measure into law.

Coming ahead of a highly anticipated Supreme Court decision on abortion expected this summer, the Oklahoma measure shows that states are not waiting for the high court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision enshrining abortion rights before acting to ban the procedure within their own borders.

Oklahoma’s bill is modeled after the restrictive Texas law, enacted last fall, that has evaded court intervention with a novel legal strategy that empowers private citizens to enforce the law. But the Oklahoma bill goes even further than Texas, where abortion is allowed within up to six weeks of pregnancy.

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Both the six week ban and the total ban would deputize private citizens to act as bounty hunters, pitting neighbor against neighbor.

By allowing anyone to sue, these bans target doctors, medical staff, and even entire health centers with litigation from anyone.

— ACLU (@ACLU) April 28, 2022