After Texas, Oklahoma State In US Passes Bill Approving Near-Total Ban On Abortions

Oklahoma lawmakers Tuesday passed a bill that would make termination of pregnancy illegal, except in medical emergencies, and penalise offenders with up to 10 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

Abortion law and judge's gavel (Getty Image)

New Delhi: Seven months after Texas banned abortions, another US state Tuesday took a step closer to making termination of pregnancy illegal, except in medical emergencies.

Oklahoma lawmakers Tuesday passed a bill that would penalise the offenders with up to 10 years in prison and $100,000 in fines, media reports said.

The bill, passed by the Republican-controlled state's Senate last year, was brought to vote by the House of Representatives this week. It now awaits signing by the desk of Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who has previously shown support for an anti-abortion legislation, news agency Reuters reported. 

Once signed, the law will come into effect in a few months from now, unless it is taken to and blocked by courts.

In September 2021, the US state of Texas banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Ever since, Oklahoma had become an abortion destination for women from Texas.

The Oklahoma bill passed on Tuesday says "a person shall not purposely perform or attempt to perform an abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency", according to the Reuters report.

This is one of the many anti-abortion bills tabled in the state's legislature.

One legislation proposes to ban almost all abortions and even rely on private citizens to sue any one aiding or abetting abortions. 
Pro-choice groups have spoken out against the bills. 

"These harmful bills are an alarming reminder that the days of access to safe and legal abortion may be numbered, and we must continue to fight to guarantee all people have access to the essential health care they need, including abortion," Tamya Cox-Toure, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, was quoted as saying in a statement.