The Oklahoma Senate today approved a pro-life law that would ban abortions in the same manner as Texas did. The Texas abortion ban is a unique law that has been on the books for 183 days and saved as many as 17,000 babies from abortions.
After a lengthy debate, Senators passed SB 1503 by a vote of 33-11. Senate Bill 1503, modeled after the Texas heartbeat law, would prohibit abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks of pregnancy, and allow private citizens to sue abortionists who break the law.
“Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, authored the bill. During questions from other Senators Thursday, she said she had worked with the former Texas solicitor general on the text in the bill,” according to a KOAH report.
Under the bill, just like the Texas law, abortionists are prohibited from killing babies in abortions and, instead of a criminal enforcement by state or local officials, the law allows private individuals to file a civil lawsuit against abortionists or those helping abortionists to end the life of the unborn child.
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The Texas law has saved thousands of babies from abortions but some abortion centers in Oklahoma have been selling more abortions and this measure, in concert with the Texas law, would ensure more babies are protected.
“This is an opportunity to save more Oklahomans. I hope that we see a good decision out of the U.S. Supreme Court, but we can’t wait around for that,” Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat told the committee, Fox 23 News reports. “We need to save unborn life.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on a Mississippi abortion case that could overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to protect unborn babies from abortion again.
Treat said the bills will make sure Oklahoma can begin protecting unborn babies’ right to life as soon as the high court allows states to do so.
About 4,000 unborn babies are aborted every year in Oklahoma, according to state health statistics.
All across the country, state lawmakers have introduced hundreds of pro-life bills this year in anticipation that the Supreme Court could overturn Roe this summer. Since 1973, states have been forced to legalize abortions without limits up to viability, and more than 63.5 million unborn babies have been killed.
The Guttmacher Institute estimates 26 states “are certain or likely to ban abortions” if the Supreme Court gets rid of Roe. And researchers estimated that abortion numbers would drop by about 120,000 in the first year and potentially even more in subsequent years if the high court allows states to ban abortions again.
