Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Oklahoma’s anti -abortion bill, which passed an hour before a meeting with abortion providers on Thursday.
The vice president gave a keynote statement before a virtual discussion with reproductive rights providers and advocates, in which he cited a Texan-style abortion ban that has only received final approval from the state legislature. of Oklahoma. The bill prohibits all abortions from the moment of fertilization and prosecuted the individuals in court along with the providers.
“Now think about it for a second: from the moment of fertilization,” Harris said. “It’s outrageous and it’s the latest in a string of extreme laws across the country. “Some medical professionals who have joined us today are seeing the impact of these laws, which are designed to punish and control women.”
Harris then listened to the stories of abortion providers he met, all of whom work in states where anti -abortion law is extremely strict, despite personal risk. Providers include an OB / GYN in California, Oklahoma, and Kansas, an OB / GYN in Texas, a chief medical officer in Missouri, and a nurse in Montana.
Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the approval of a bill by the Oklahoma legislature that prohibits almost all abortions from the moment of fertilization:
“It’s outrageous and it’s the latest in a string of extreme laws across the country.” pic.twitter.com/n0dTJ0BZ2e
– Recalculate (@therecount) May 19, 2022
The Oklahoma Bill Absolutely Passed Thursday was one of at least three anti-abortion bills sent this year to Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, which indicated he would sign the latest bill. Earlier this month, Stitt signed another Texan-style abortion bill banning abortions after determining embryonic heart activity for about six weeks. The third bill, expected to take effect this summer, criminalizes abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison without exception to rape or incest.
“Basically, it’s about our future as a nation if we live in a country where the government can interfere in personal decisions. “It’s about our future,” Harris said. “At the same time, we cannot deny that this decision will have a real and immediate impact on women in our country.”
“Americans need to know that other fundamental rights are at stake, including the right to contraception and marital equality,” White House spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre also described the Oklahoma Bill as “the most intense attempt to repeal these fundamental rights we’ve ever seen”.
“Also, Texas’s absurd plan for private citizens needs to sue neighbors for reproductive and women’s health care to help them exercise their constitutional rights,” she said. “This is part of a growing effort by Ultra MAGA officials across the country to remove freedoms that should not be ignored in this country.”
The massive increase in the state-wide draconian abortion ban comes as the Supreme Court prepares to dismiss the case against Rowe Wade in June after a draft leak showed that a conservative majority had decided to withdraw a historic decision granting federal abortion rights. level.
The White House has repeatedly said it is fighting for the right to abortion, although the administration does not have many options to oppose the Supreme Court decision and consequently state laws. Congress recently failed to come up with a women’s health bill that effectively codes Rowe Wade, putting Americans across the country at risk of losing reproductive rights.
Source: Huffpost
