As a pro-choicer, nothing grinds my gears more than seeing politicians target women and their right to terminate a pregnancy.
Although I’m definitely one of the more privileged college students, I could not imagine finding out about an unexpected pregnancy and not having anywhere to go to abort the pregnancy in an effort to secure my future and my professional career, not to mention my health.
Life happens; and in my opinion, women deserve the right to take control of their lives and bodies, not only to lay the foundation for their future, but to also ensure that when they are ready to start a family, they have the tools and experience necessary to provide a worthwhile life for their child(ren).
Today, lawmakers in Oklahoma approved a bill that would make conducting abortions a felony and annul the medical licenses of any physician who facilitates such an operation.
According to the legislation, a doctor who carries out an abortion, except in instances to save the life of the mother, could be convicted for to up to three years in prison and could also be forbidden from practicing medicine ever again.
“This bill is as direct an assault on Roe v. Wade — and the Supreme Court’s subsequent jurisprudence — as anything we’ve seen before,” said Steve Vladeck, law professor at the American University Washington College of Law. “If this law is upheld, then (the Roe decision) is meaningless.”
The measure is now in the hands of Gov. Mary Fallin, an anti-abortion Republican, to decide. Fallin was given five days to either sign or reject the provision.
According to Michael McNutt, Fallin’s spokesperson, if the Republican governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill, it automatically becomes law.
“Oklahoma politicians have made it their mission year after year to restrict women’s access [to] vital health care services, yet this total ban on abortion is a new low,” said Amanda Allen, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The [CRR] is closely watching this bill and we strongly urge Governor Fallin to reject this cruel and unconstitutional ban.”
Only two abortion clinics remain in Oklahoma after the state recently passed numerous regulations on the facilities.
Other states who have sought to ban abortions have focused on prohibiting the procedure itself instead of attaching penalties to those who perform such controversial operations.
Naturally, people sounded off on these politicians via Twitter:
So Oklahoma today: execution screwup report, makes abortion a crime instead of fixing budget and bridges collapse.
Welp.
— Keaton Fox (@keatonfox) May 19, 2016
Oklahoma passes a bill that would make providing abortion illegal. This is a blatant attack on women. https://t.co/JlWGJur0fr
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) May 19, 2016
Funny: Oklahoma still doesn't provide any kind of paid maternity leave, but has time to make abortion a felony. https://t.co/pG4pQtGDHb
— Catherine Silverman (@catmsilverman) May 19, 2016
Fallin’s decision will not only impact women currently experiencing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, but also future generations of women who could possibly lose the ability to go to school, or could become homeless and unable to take care of their kin. It’s time lawmakers stop trying to make life harder for women and focus on equality and rights for all people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJR3-j-Mig
Featured image via Getty/Mark Wilson
