The laws will take effect immediately once they’re signed.
Oklahoma is poised to ban nearly all abortions, as the state legislature passed two bills Thursday copying Texas’ controversial law against the procedure, which will likely cut off abortion access to both Oklahoma residents and an influx of Texans that have traveled to the state for the procedure. 45%. That’s the percentage of Texas residents seeking abortions that went to Oklahoma to get an abortion between September and December 2021, after SB 8 took effect, according to a study from the University of Texas at Austin. Planned Parenthood clinics in Oklahoma report an 800% increase in Texas residents seeking abortions at their facilities, suggesting Oklahoma’s ban will also significantly impact Texans as well. “A state of emergency exists in Oklahoma,” Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R), who introduced SB 1503, said about the surge of Texas abortion patients traveling to Oklahoma, calling it “sickening.” “And that’s the reason we’re making every effort to get our laws changed.
