On Thursday, the Oklahoma House passed a bill banning abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, sending it to Governor Kevin Stitt for his signature to become law. The S.B. 1503 bill (detailed in full here) is modeled after Texas’ six-week abortion ban law.
The bill states in part that the law is to be “enforced exclusively through a private civil action” empowering “any person” to bring civil action against doctors who perform abortions in violation of this bill. It also allows any person to sue someone who “aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion” if it is performed in violation of the bill. That includes anyone who pays for an abortion or reimburses the costs of an abortion.
Stitt signed into law another anti-abortion bill April 12, making it a felony for medical providers to perform nearly all abortions in the state. Medical workers could go to prison for up to 10 years and be fined up to $100,000 for performing abortions unless they are done to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.
Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com