" I promised the people of Oklahoma that as governor I would sign any pro-life legislation that comes across my desk, and I am proud to keep that promise today, " Stitt said in a statement.
The Republican-backed legislation, which takes effect immediately, makes exceptions only for medical emergencies, rape or incest.
Several US states have put the issue of abortion on the agenda after it was announced that the US Supreme Court may overturn the 1973 case known as Roe v. Wade, which established the constitutional right to abortion. A draft Supreme Court opinion leaked on May 2 also revealed that the panel's conservative majority wants to review federal abortion rights and return the issue to state jurisdiction.
The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights (Center for Reproductive Rights) said it will soon challenge the Oklahoma ban in court. He pointed out that the state's leadership banned abortion despite the Roe v. Wade ruling still in force.
Four affected Oklahoma clinics have already stopped providing abortions in response to the ban.
At the beginning of May, the legislation that banned abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy came into force in Oklahoma. The implementing provisions of both bills were modeled after the Texas legislation that came into force in September, which resulted in the closure of almost all abortion clinics in that state. Before the Oklahoma law was passed, the state became a target for Texas women seeking abortions after six weeks.
MTI
Cover image: Vatican News
