Oklahoma governor vetoes bill that made it a felony to perform abortions
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says she has signed 18 bills supporting “pro-life and pro-family measures,” but she could not sign a measure making it a felony for doctors to perform abortions.
Fallin vetoed the bill on Friday, saying she doubted the bill would survive a legal challenge, report the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Oklahoman. Under the bill, doctors who perform an abortion could have been sent to prison for up to three years and could have had their medical licenses revoked. The bill created an exception to the penalties when doctors perform abortions that are necessary to save the life of the mother.
“The bill is so ambiguous and so vague,” Fallin said in a statement (PDF), “that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘necessary to preserve the life of the mother.’ ”
Fallin said she supported a re-examination of Roe v. Wade, but the most direct path to that end is “the appointment of a conservative, pro-life justice to the United States Supreme Court.”
