Oklahoma House passes bill banning abortion at conception

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma House on Thursday passed a bill that would ban abortions at conception.

House Bill 4327 also would be enforced using civil lawsuits. The bill could be the strictest abortion ban Oklahoma has passed.

This comes on the heels of a leaked Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) draft opinion showing that the most powerful court in the land is poised to overturn roe v. Wade, a decision which made abortion a right.

The leaked opinion set off a tidal wave of laws restricting abortions.

“It is my sincere hope that, in addition to the criminal bill passed this session, this civil liability bill will provide strong, additional protection of the life of unborn children in Oklahoma,” State Rep. Wendi Stearman of Collinsville said in a news release.

Those opposed to the bill said they are concerned that it sets conception as a threshold. They also are worried that different forms of contraceptives could be banned next.

>>>EXPLAINER: What happens in Oklahoma if Roe v. Wade is overturned?

President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement, “People will be forced to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion, and those who cannot afford to travel will be forced to give birth against their will or attempt to end their pregnancies on their own.”

Northup calls this a cruel reality that generations of Oklahomans have not yet known.

Stearman, the author of the bill, says it’s just about abortion. She pointed to language that states abortion does not include the use or provision of Plan B or any other contraception.

Stearman and her Republican colleagues have made their position clear: they will not let abortions happen in Oklahoma under their watch.

“I value life, and it should never be permitted by law to take the life of a child born or unborn,” Stearman said.

House Bill 4327 heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk. If signed, the bill would go into effect immediately.

FOX23 contacted Stitt’s office, but they declined to comment at this time.

Stitt’s office only said that the governor said he would sign any anti-abortion bill that comes across his desk.

Pro-abortion rights groups plan to fight the new law and others like it, but with SCOTUS likely striking down roe v. Wade, it may take Congress passing law, which was blocked by the U.S. Senate.