The Oklahoma State Legislature on Thursday passed a Texas-style bill that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to sign it in the coming days.
The "Oklahoma Heartbeat Act" passed the state House of Representatives 68-12, sending the bill to the desk of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is expected to sign it in the coming days. Back in March, the state senate passed the bill 33-11.
The text of the legislation states that
"an abortion shall not be performed or induced on a pregnant woman, unless the physician has determined in accordance with this section whether a fetal heartbeat can be detected in the woman's unborn child."
A doctor "may not knowingly perform an abortion on a pregnant woman if the doctor has detected a fetal heartbeat in the unborn child" or if the doctor has not checked for a fetal heartbeat. The bill makes exceptions for medical emergencies, but requires doctors to record what the emergency was and why the doctor felt the emergency required an abortion.
Any private individual can sue the person performing the abortion, as well as anyone who "engages in conduct that aids or abets" the abortion, including paying or reimbursing the costs of the abortion procedure.
The bill does not allow a woman who undergoes an abortion to be included as a defendant in a lawsuit.
If the lawsuit is successful, the courts can issue an injunction preventing the affected person from performing or assisting in an abortion, and plaintiffs are entitled to up to $10,000 in damages for each illegal abortion.
Oklahoma's state Senate on Thursday passed another piece of legislation that would ban all abortions from the moment of conception, using the same enforcement method as the civil action. The bill now goes to the state House of Representatives for a vote.
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