Oklahoma has strict abortion laws matching many of the states in its region. The state mandates counseling programs for women who want an abortion and puts limits on public funding for the procedures.
Following state-directed counseling, a woman must wait 72 hours before having an abortion. The waiting period had been 24 hours, but Gov. Mary Fallin signed the bill into law in May 2015 to extend the time for a woman to make her decision. Pro-life advocates hailed the move as a way to lower the number of
abortions in the state, according to LifeNews.com.
The law, which may face legal challenges, was to go into effect Nov. 1.
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Missouri, South Dakota and Utah also have 72-hour waiting periods.
Oklahoma does not allow abortion coverage in private insurance policies, health insurance for public employees and health plans within the Affordable Care act, except when the woman’s life is in danger,
according to the Guttmacher Institute. However, optional riders for abortion coverage are available in each of these insurance programs.
Oklahoma’s regulations include no public funding for abortion unless there is life endangerment, rape or incest. The state also requires parental consent when a minor wants an abortion.
Oklahoma state legislators attempted to implement a law that required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals within 30 miles of where the abortion takes place,
according to a report from Reuters. The law was put on hold when the Oklahoma Supreme Court halted it. Opponents of the law said it wasn’t necessary because abortion complications are rare and similar to issues of a miscarriage, but supporters said it would help protect women.
Mississippi passed a similar law on a requirement for doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals in 2012, which threatened to close the state’s only licensed abortion clinic,
reported NBC News. The U.S. Supreme Court would not rule on the case in June 2015.
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