The Oklahoma House of Representatives has made a move to burn abortion by voting to support a bill that seeks to illegalize abortion on women except on cases of saving her life. While voting to adopt the motion, the honorable members of the house of representative showed no pretense in protection women health. The bill makes it illegal for the doctors to perform abortion in any woman except of the reasons where the woman is at risk. The doctors who violate the law will have committed an offense and face a sentence not exceeding three years. If the bill is approved, Oklahoma will join other states like Texas to outright burn abortion.
According to an article, published New York Times (2016) members of the honorable house passed the motion following campaign to reduce access to abortion for the women in Oklahoma and improve their reproductive health. The move is likely part of the extended campaign by the governor Mary Fallin who is expected to sign the bill into law should it get the senate approval.
The motion was debated and approved by the parliament last Thursday. However, some constitutional analysts argue the move by the members of the house if wrong since as the supreme court earlier upheld the on the right of the abortion by the women until the fetus was viable. In this case, the bill might be shot down as it happened in Utah and Louisiana in 1991 where such a bill was shot down on basis of violating constitutional rights. Other states also have tried to propose such laws but have been unsuccessful. Making it worse, the Supreme Court upheld the decision in support of women allowing them to seek abortion services as long as the fetus was not viable.
The actions of the Oklahoma legislature did not go well with supporters of women rights. They criticized the lawmakers for inventing a way around the constitution. They also have argue that the legislature erred by passing the bill because it blocked the women’s fundamental rights as granted by the constitution. It also criticized by criminalizing the doctor’s activities. The doctors have the rights to assists their patients and their profession should not be drawn into the matter either. The anti-abortion supporters have also criticized the motive behind the legislatures passing the motion terming it a deliberate effort to undermine the women rights of choice. Besides, the Supreme Court has also affirmed these rights by upholding the decision to allow the women perform abortion.
By passing the bill, the legislature denied millions of women the right to access abortion and reproductive health services. This may increase the number of women who perform abortion on themselves with the fear of contacting the doctor due to legal consequences. The anti-abortion activists have argued that the laws if approved by the Senate will affect its credibility to safeguard the constitution and the rights of the citizens. The governor has been pushing for health service reforms, on the health service however, approving the bill if directly affects the rights of the women and it there as granted by the constitution. The legislation also drew the doctors profession in to the matter by making it illegal for doctors to assist women perform abortion unless the life of the woman is in danger.
Reference:
The New York Times (2016, April). Oklahoma’s unabashed attack on abortion. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/opinion/oklahomas-unabashed-attack-on-abortion.html?_r=0 on may 5 2016.