The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked three abortion restrictions set to take effect on Nov. 1.
Why it matters: The laws would place new limits on medication-induced abortions and require doctors who perform abortions to attain board certification in obstetrics and gynecology.
Details: Abortion advocates asked the court to put the three restrictions on hold after a district judge temporarily blocked two of the five laws, including a ban of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
- Now all five laws, which were enacted in the last legislative session, will remain blocked as the case proceeds.
What they're saying: "The court’s decision today comes as a huge relief," Alan Braid, owner of Tulsa Women’s Reproductive Clinic, said in a statement. "Texas has shown us the heartbreaking consequences of what happens when a state bans abortion. Even Oklahomans are suffering from the Texas ban, which has created backlogs of patients here and in other surrounding states."
- "[T]he state Supreme Court did precisely what the legal system is designed to do: block unconstitutional laws and ensure that our patients will be able to get the health care they deserve," added Emily Wales, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
- "But this fight is not over: Oklahomans still must contend with numerous barriers to essential reproductive health care. We will continue fighting for them in every way possible."
The big picture: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases challenging Texas' restrictive abortion law, but left the law in place in the meantime.
- All of this is likely to end with significant new restrictions on abortion and a clear path for Republican-led states to win the next big abortion cases too — the culmination of a long and bitter fight for control of the judiciary, Axios' Sam Baker writes.
Worth noting: Clinics in Oklahoma have reported a massive influx of patients traveling from Texas, according to the lawsuit. One Oklahoma clinic has reported that two-thirds of the phone calls they receive are now from Texas patients.
