Harris, White House Spox Rip Oklahoma For Passing Near-Total Abortion Ban Weeks After Leaked Supreme Court Opinion
May 20 2022, Published 3:09 p.m. ET
The outcry over Oklahoma's new abortion law, the strictest in the nation, reaches far and wide.
In a May 19 statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took the position that Roe v. Wade is still, for the moment, the law of the land. “Today’s action by the Oklahoma legislature is the most extreme effort to undo these fundamental rights we have seen to date,” she said
“In addition, it adopts Texas’ absurd plan to allow private citizens to sue their neighbors for providing reproductive health care and helping women to exercise their constitutional rights.
“This is part of a growing effort by ultra MAGA officials across the country to roll back the freedoms we should not take for granted in this country,” Jean-Pierre continued. “They are starting with reproductive rights, but the American people need to know that other fundamental rights, including the right to contraception and marriage equality, are at risk.”
The Oklahoma bill has been blasted by pro-choice critics who note that it bans abortion from the moment of fertilization, making it an effective total ban.
Meanwhile, at the top of a virtual meeting May 19 with abortion providers, Vice President Kamla Harris also had choice words for the legislation, according to the Huffington Post.
“At its core, this is about our future as a nation, about whether we live in a country where the government can interfere in personal decisions,” she stated. “This is about our future.”
Recently, Ms. Magazine collected a number of concerned voices, including that of Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains in Oklahoma City.
“This is a devastating day for individual liberties, individual health care decisions, and most importantly, individuals in Oklahoma who deserve respect,” she said. “These decisions should be their own. To all who need care, we see you and our doors are open for you—even if we cannot provide care here at home in the same way we have.”
The Oklahoma abortion bill, known as HB 4327, passed in the state legislature by a vote of 73 to 16. All it needs now is a signature for Gov. Kevin Stitt.