Oklahoma Passes Anti-Abortion Bill, Making Procedure A Felony

[Saviolo]

Source: International Business Times

In a setback for women's health advocates, the Oklahoman state legislature passed a bill on Thursday that makes performing an abortion a felony.

The bill, SB 1552, was passed with a vote of 33-12 Thursday and would make the medical procedure punishable with up to three years in prison and would suspend the medical licenses of Oklahoma doctors who perform the procedure, local media reported. The bill next heads to the desk of Gov. Mary Fallin.

The bill was proposed by Republican Sen. Nathan Dahm and the Center for Reproductive Rights said it the first of its kind in the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

The bill comes at the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling on a Texas abortion case which could potentially decrease the number of clinics providing the procedure.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/oklahoma-passes-anti-abortion-bill-making-procedure-felony-2371387

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Additional information on News9:
http://www.news9.com/story/32016055/oklahoma-house-passes-anti-abortion-information-measure

Dahm says he's hopeful the measure could lead to overturning Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. Abortion rights groups have said the bill is unconstitutional.

I hear they want small government! Small enough to get in there and guard those fetuses!

[uppityperson]

1. K&R, disgusting assholes indeed

[Vinca]

2. Federal law takes precedence over state law.

Abortion is legal. End of story.

[Saviolo]

4. As the News9 article indicates

It looks like the movers behind the bill are hoping to set it up as a constitutional challenge to go before the SCOTUS. I'm sure they're hoping that by the time it makes it that far it will be stacked to the right.

[Vinca]

7. That is a concern.

[Squaredeal]

3. Settled Law

Obviously unconstitutional.
And, if abortion is to now be considered a felony, what about the person who hires the physician to perform the procedure? Wouldn't she be as culpable and subject to the same penalties?

[bucolic_frolic]

5. The medical manufacturers too

Instruments could be viewed as illegal weapons

[Saviolo]

9. Take a peek at the News9 article linked

It looks like the movers behind the bill are hoping to set it up as a constitutional challenge to go before the SCOTUS. I'm sure they're hoping that by the time it makes it that far it will be stacked to the right.

[Orrex]

19. Then we'd all better vote for the Democrat on the ballot in November.

[Saviolo]

21. Indeed

#votebluenomatterwho

[Orrex]

22. :thumbsup:

[hamsterjill]

27. Exactly.

This election is about more than just what's on the surface. It's about the Supreme Court.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. And the taxpayers of OK

will spend millions trying to push this through the courts

[Tess49]

16. I wrote this moron an email and asked him if planned to pay for the court costs out of

his own pocket. Our state is on the verge of bankruptcy. Schools are closing early for the summer, teachers are losing their jobs, medicaid is on the chopping block, hospitals are closing, etc. Surprise! He didn't respond to my inquiry.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. ARRRRRGH!

Hey people, Fallin, our governor, is allegedly on Trump's VP list!

This is such BULLSHIT! These people don't even try and pretend to respect the Constitution!

[milestogo]

8. Don't they have fracking & earthquakes to worry about?

[Orrex]

20. This is how they placate their angry gods

And also by defunding public education to protect Big Oil subsidies, of course.

[vi5]

10. Maybe if we focused as much on state houses and other positions of power

rather than just fixating on President, we might be able to actually stop bullshit like this.

While we've been spending most of the past 20 years focusing on the President and the supreme court, Republicans have been focusing on every single level of government and been gutting any and all laws they don't like, flooding the books with billss that they do, knowing full well that not all of them will even come close to getting to the high court.

[awoke_in_2003]

17. Yep

starting at the PTA and working their way up

[treestar]

28. Amen!

Too many people think the President is all there is. "Runs the country." Nope, the POTUS does not.

[vi5]

32. No too many people.

Too many Democrats.

More specifically too many Democrats in power. We talk a good game on "down ticket" but in the end it is largely talk.

[greymattermom]

11. What procedure?

The same medical procedure is used in the case of fetal demise. Is that illegal now?

[avebury]

13. Same old same old for Oklahoma

You have to recognize the fact that the Oklahoma State Legislature excels in passing unconstitutional laws. Our State Attorney General excels in defending said unconstitutional laws when the inevitable court case is filed and threatens to appeal when he looses the court case. They don't care that the state is broke because it is all about trying to exert control over the people.

[ViseGrip]

14. OH BUT THE SURPREME COURT PICK! YOU MUST VOTE FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS!

You see this? Over and over. It's IS up to states, and that is where the fight is. I live in a state, they just undo what the court does. So it's really state politics that matter here.

I don't care who they appoint....it's your Governor that matters there!

WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN....NO NO!

[TwilightZone]

31. Where do you think stuff like this ends up?

The people behind the bill are hoping it will end up at SCOTUS, as the article discusses. That's kind of how these things work.

If the SCOTUS moves to the right, shit like this will be passed into law, make it through the court system in red states intact and be upheld by the SCOTUS.

If the SCOTUS moves to the left, shit like this will get knocked down.

Unless you're aware of a process where the governor of a state can override SCOTUS, the governor is irrelevant in the end.

[wysi]

33. Did you take civics in high school?

I'm guessing not.

[blm]

34. Do you SERIOUSLY believe that baloney you just posted? SCOTUS has EVERYTHING to do

with what a state ends up doing in the LONG RUN.

What happened with the RW court pulled the rug out from under VOTING RIGHTS ACT? The swing states run by bats hit crazy Republicans immediately started adding restrictions.

What the hell kinda game are you trying to run here, pushing the idea that Supreme Court has no say over issues?

Who are you hoping believes that narrative?

[leftofcool]

35. OMG! I am assuming you don't know what the Supreme Court Does?

[mcar]

36. FFS

[Maven]

37. YES THE SUPREME COURT PICK.

I'm sure when President Trump's nominee to the bench votes to overturn Roe v. Wade the women whose lives are at stake will be grateful you went with your conscience and helped sink Hillary's chances.

[Agnosticsherbet]

41. Women's rights do not fall under States Rights. The Supreme Court determines what laws

Are Constitutional.
That is why states pass these laws and why we cannot allow Trump to appoint any of the cadres of pro-life judges appointed for the purpose of overturning Roe V Wade.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

42. Hit and run troll or sheer embarrassment?

You decide........

[SpankMe]

15. Why don't we start acting like repub-fucks, too?

Democratic states like California should start passing laws that ban guns, mandate yoga for every able-bodied citizen, establish Buddhism as the state religion and criminalize the attempted criminalization of abortion.

We should also pass a law that repeals the first amendment so we can silence right ring fuckwads.

I'm not joking. Republicans are passing more and more of these patently unconstitutional laws as acts of defiance and protest, and in order to move the "norm" of thinking to the next level in their direction.


For example, now, instead of rejecting abortion-banning laws out of hand, we actually have to take these through courts, debate them and, perhaps, see the courts validate "parts" of the law, which now moves the goal post to the next position, all ready for the next generation of repressive thug legislators to get the next ban in place with less resistance.

The country's broken. I've lost hope. We need to break up into real America, where liberals live, and Christo-land where conservatives can live their ignorant, biblical wet dreams every day.

This shit gets me so mad!

[secondwind]

18. what is wrong with these people? I have to think this will end up in the Supreme Court

[Maven]

38. Of course it will. That's what they're hoping for!

Just in time to get this back in front of the SCOTUS, when (they hope) President Trump's anti-Roe v. Wade appointee to the Court will be the deciding vote that takes us back to the time before women had reproductive rights.

[Jopin Klobe]

23. Interesting trick ...

... this will be appealed ...

... if the last court (before it goes to the Supreme Court - and it will) ... if the last court decides in favor of it and, then, the Supreme Court ties 4 to 4 ...

... the lower court's decision will hold ...

... here we go ...

[Saviolo]

25. And that right there

is what it's all about.

They're setting up a constitutional challenge in a time of major uncertainty.

[CrispyQ]

24. ...

[apcalc]

26. There will be much more of this if Trump wins...

Young female Sanders supporters take note...

[wolfie001]

29. Stupid bible-belt hillbillies!

I hate 'em.

[TwilightZone]

30. But there's no difference between the parties!

Sigh

[Judi Lynn]

39. Oklahoma adopts bill outlawing abortion

Oklahoma adopts bill outlawing abortion

May 19, 2016

Los Angeles (AFP) - Lawmakers in the US state of Oklahoma adopted a bill on Thursday that would make performing abortions a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.

The bill, which still has to be signed by the state's governor, was passed 33-12 in the Senate with no discussion or debate. The measure was introduced by Republican senator Nathan Dahm, who has said he hoped it would lead to overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, who is opposed to abortion, declined to comment on the measure until her staff has reviewed the bill, local news reports said.

Fallin has been mentioned as a potential running mate to Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

More:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/oklahoma-adopts-bill-outlawing-abortion-190058171.html?nhp=1

[Judi Lynn]

40. Oklahoma bill to jail abortion doctors heads to governor

Oklahoma bill to jail abortion doctors heads to governor
By Heide Brandes

May 19, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma bill that could send any doctor who performs an abortion to jail headed to the governor on Thursday, with opponents saying the measure is unconstitutional and promising a legal battle against the cash-strapped state if it is approved.

The bill to make abortion a felony punishable by up to three years in prison was approved by the Republican-dominated Senate on Thursday. Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican opposed to abortion, has not indicated whether she will sign it.

The bill also calls on state medical boards to revoke licenses for the "performance of an abortion" but allows an exemption for abortion necessary to preserve the life of the mother.

"This is our proper function, to protect life,” Republican Nathan Dahm, an author of the bill, said during a debate. Supporters have said the bill could withstand a legal challenge because the state was within its rights to set licensing requirement for doctors.

More:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/oklahoma-bill-jail-abortion-doctors-heads-governor-165845079.html?nhp=1

[center]



Bill's author, sleazoid meddler in women's private lives, Republican Nathan Dahm. [/center]

[Jitter65]

43. Well, if we can boycott a state for LBGT bathroom laws we certainly can boycott OK for this.

Women's groups on the right and on the left should be against this no matter which side you are on, choice or anti-abortion. I don't believe anti-abortion should mean this.