Abortion Denial
An Oklahoma woman with a nonviable pregnancy was told by an Oklahoma City hospital last year to wait in the parking lot until her condition was severe enough to qualify for an abortion under state bans. The Biden Administration says the hospital did not violate federal law.
Twenty-six-year-old Jaci Statton filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a federal law ensuring access to emergency care. In it, she says Oklahoma doctors told her she had a partial molar pregnancy, which could result in hemorrhaging, infections and even death.
President Biden said weeks before Roe v. Wade was overturned that, under federal law, hospitals must provide abortion services in emergencies, regardless of state bans. But Statton's complaint was denied by his administration in October and made public last week by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents Statton. It did not disclose why it waited months to share this decision.
Abortion is virtually illegal in Oklahoma, with exceptions for preserving a woman’s life.
Supreme Court Takes Up Richard Glossip Case
The U.S Supreme Court will review the death sentence of an Oklahoma inmate. Richard Glossip, who has been on death row for over two decades, maintains he is innocent.
Glossip argues the State suppressed information about Justin Sneed’s psychiatric condition during the trial where he was the prosecution’s key witness and testified Glossip hired him to kill motel owner Barry Van Treese in 1997.
In a press release, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond says he is pleased the Supreme Court is hearing the case. He contends Glossip’s conviction should be vacated and remanded back to district court.
This follows Drummond’s unprecedented support of Glossip’s clemency application last year and the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Glossip a stay of execution.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments later this year.
Chickasaw Compacts
After previous resistance, the State of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation have reached an agreement on tobacco and vehicle tags. The compact is a significant deal for the Governor and the tribe.
As reported by the Oklahoman newspaper, Governor Kevin Stitt and Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby entered into a compact that would split tobacco tax revenue and recognize tribal license plates until 2034.
This is the longest-term agreement Governor Stitt has made with any of Oklahoma’s tribes. He previously opposed the legislature making tribal compacts, saying only the governor’s office could strike agreements.
The tobacco compact is set to automatically renew after 2034 unless either party opts out.
Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat praised the deal, calling it a “major win.”
Oklahoma Telework
The increased use of work-from-home and hybrid workplaces among state employees was a catalyst in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ recent headquarters move.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has relocated its headquarters in Oklahoma City, citing the increased use of work-from-home and hybrid workplaces among state employees as a reason for the move.
Corrections is hardly alone.
With the increase of telework and hybrid workplaces, the state’s Health Care Authority occupied only 55 percent of its headquarters space, too. So it opened up its second floor to the other state agency.
The nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Watch reports the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed most workplaces, including those in state government.
Agency leaders tout the move as a way to optimize space and be more fiscally responsible.
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