Tired of anti-abortion lunatics chipping away at reproductive rights? Well it looks like they’ve finally stopped chipping…and decided to just blow through everything like a dirt-dumping Oklahoma dust storm.
A bill in Oklahoma would revoke the license of any doctor who performs an abortion. Needless to say, that bill would have an impact on abortion rights–in the same sense that that iceberg had an impact on the Titanic. The difference between doing this and just flatout outlawing something that has been ruled a Constitutional right is nebulous at best.
Make no mistake–this bill is a virtual ban on abortion. No more fiddling around with TRAP laws and waiting periods. Oklahoma is set to impose an abortion waiting period of FOREVER!
Under this bill, doctors who perform abortions cannot obtain or renew their medical licenses. The bill would allow exceptions to save the mother’s life (thank you, Oklahoma!) but any doctor performing an abortion for a victim of rape or incest can kiss their medical license goodbye.
Abortion is defined in the bill as “unprofessional conduct,” a definition clearly at odds with other authorities, such as the AMA, and, oh, I don’t know… THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT.
The bill is currently sitting on Governor Mary Fallin’s desk, no doubt causing a severe stain. Opponents of the bill say that it’s unconstitutional. So does the Constitution. Yet despite that, it passed the Oklahoma House by a vote of 59-to-9. Presumably, when a judge makes the obvious call and rules this travesty is unconstitutional, Oklahoma will vote to revoke that judge’s law degree.
If you’re wondering how the Oklahoma State legislature could pass such a blatantly illegal law, Rep. David Brumbaugh, a supporter of the bill, put it best when he said “If we take care of morality, God will take care of the economy.” You don’t have to be a theologian or a lawyer to believe that God is best left to take care of morality, while Oklahoma’s elected officials would be better off taking care of the economy.
