Kevin Stitt, the Republican governor of the US state of Oklahoma, has signed a law banning abortion after conception. The signature has immediately made almost all abortions in the state illegal. Last week, parliament had already voted by a large majority in favor of the legislation, which is by far the strictest in the country.
Anyone who “performs or induces” an abortion or “knowingly engages in conduct that aids or encourages the performance or instigation of an abortion” is punishable by law. Anyone who pays or even plans to pay for an abortion is also punishable. Another special aspect of the new law is that citizens can bring lawsuits against people or organizations who perform or seek an abortion.
There is one exception. Terminating an ectopic pregnancy is not covered by the anti-abortion law. But pregnancies caused by rape or incest may not be terminated unless those incidents had already been reported to the police before.
Oklahoma had already passed a law in early May that makes abortion illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. That law did not go far enough for parliament, after all. The day before, it was announced that the U.S. Supreme Court intends to overturn the landmark decision in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. The ruling gave a federal right to abortion. As a result, every state had to have at least one clinic where women could get an abortion.
If the court does indeed overturn the ruling, it will be up to individual states to determine whether or not abortion is allowed, and under what conditions. Dozens of states want to curb abortion laws. On the other hand, there are several states that have passed legislation that guarantees the right to an abortion.