A Senate panel on Monday advanced a measure to prevent the use of popular abortion-inducing drugs, including mifepristone.
House Bill 1168 makes it a felony to intentionally deliver abortion-inducing drugs in the state.
“We are stopping the pill from the abortion side of this just because of the damage it does to an unborn person, primarily, but also because of the damage it does to women and mothers,” said Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, the Senate author of the measure.
Abortion in Oklahoma is already illegal, except to save the life of the mother.
Abortion-inducing drugs, like RU486, better known as mifepristone, are not the same as the morning after pill. Abortion-inducing drugs end a pregnancy while the morning-after pill prevents pregnancy.
“RU486 has one intent and that intent is to murder an unborn child,” Bullard said.
Bullard said the measure would also prevent it from being shipped into Oklahoma through major carriers.
The measure would make it a felony with a fine not to exceed $100,000 or up to 10 years in prison or both.
“I simply cannot believe that we are continuing to try and create new felonies for substances that are legal, that do provide valid medical relief to individuals here in our state,” said Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City.
Hicks said she was appalled that the state continues to push the envelope when mothers are going into sepsis and experiencing fatal conditions before they can get medical intervention.
“This is the only medical procedure in the world that the success of the procedure depends on the death of the patient,” Bullard said.
The measure passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee by a vote of 7-3. It is available for consideration in the Senate.
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