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Under New Bill, Physicians Performing Abortions In Oklahoma Could Have Licenses Suspended

Ryan LaCroix / KOSU

Two abortion bills passed out of the House Public Health committee Tuesday.

It’s already illegal in Oklahoma to perform an abortion for the purposes of sex selection, but House Bill 1396 takes current law further. It would require a pregnant woman to sign an affidavit swearing she doesn’t know the gender prior to the procedure.

Under House Bill 1182, performing an abortion could cost a physician their license. The bill makes exceptions for medical emergencies that put the woman’s life in danger. There are no exceptions for incidents of rape or incest.

Oklahoma has some of the strictest abortion laws in the nation. A woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 72 hours before the procedure is provided. By law, abortions aren’t covered under most health insurance policies.

It’s up to House leadership if the bills are heard on the floor.

Jackie Fortiér worked for StateImpact Oklahoma from November 2017 to January 2020, reporting on a variety of topics and heading up its health reporting initiative. She has many journalism awards to her name during her years of multi-media reporting in Colorado, and was part of a team recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists with a Sigma Delta Chi award for excellence in breaking news reporting in 2013.
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