Oklahoma’s top court last year unanimously blocked the state’s requirement for abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, as well as the restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs.
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A hearing is scheduled Monday in the lawsuit filed by the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of Reproductive Services, a nonprofit reproductive health care facility in Tulsa, and the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice. It’s time for Oklahoma politicians to take the hint and give up their relentless crusade against women and their doctors.
The state’s Republican leaders, who have enacted a series of abortion restrictions, planned to appeal the decision from Oklahoma District Judge Patricia Parrish of the law the governor signed previous year. This more recent bill was rewritten to to overcome that objection.
Which is odd, given that HB2684 was passed after the Oklahoma Supreme Court affirmed District Judge Donald Worthington’s decision. One measure would have effectively banned the method in 2011.
The court building is across the street from the state Capitol.
“In striking down the law, Parrish said she was bound by a decision handed down by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2012”, according to the Associated Press’ Tim Talley.
“As the attorney general has maintained throughout the course of litigation, the Legislature was within its constitutional authority to take steps to prevent off-label uses of abortion drugs in order to protect the health and safety of Oklahoma women”, Cooper said. Women not wanting a surgical abortion have the medication option up to nine weeks into their pregnancy.
“The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and she said that this law is unconstitutional because it is singling out these medications exclusively when they’re used for ending a pregnancy”, said senior staff attorney Autumn Katz of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights.
A Florida law requiring women to wait 24 hours after a doctor visit to get an abortion was put on hold by a state judge there in July. He said at least six women have died in the U.S. after being administered the drugs, justifying the state’s law requiring adherence to the FDA protocol.
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However since FDA approval, medical researchers and medical trials have proven that mifepristone is efficient in a lot smaller doses and for 2 weeks longer in a being pregnant.
