A Veto for Oklahoma’s Quixotic Abortion Bill

By Matt Ford

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin vetoed a unprecedented bill Friday that would have made it a felony for physicians to perform abortions in the state, saying the proposed law would not survive the inevitable legal challenges against it.

“While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, this legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination,” Fallin said in a statement.

Senate Bill 1552 would have imposed a one- to three-year prison sentence for performing an abortion and stripped providing physicians of their medical licenses—a direct violation of Roe v. Wade that was virtually guaranteed to be struck down by the courts.

Oklahoma’s Senate approved the bill by a 33-12 vote on Thursday. The Oklahoma House previously passed the legislation in April by a 59-9 vote.

Fallin, who strongly opposes abortion, signaled Thursday she could veto the legislation after it passed the Senate. “The governor will withhold comment on that bill, as she does on most bills, until she and her staff have had a chance to review it,” Fallin spokesman Michael McNutt told the Washington Post at the time.

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