Oklahoma Heartbeat Law Blocked; Other Abortion Restrictions Allowed
An Oklahoma judge temporarily blocked two new anti-abortion laws from going into effect next month, including a restriction similar to Texas' that bans abortion around 6 weeks of pregnancy. The judge allowed three others, including restrictions on medication-induced abortion and which doctors can perform the procedure.
Oklahoman:
Judge Blocks Oklahoma Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Law, Lets Others Stand
A judge Monday blocked Oklahoma laws that would have banned abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected and would have deemed abortions as "unprofessional conduct" by doctors. The judge, however, refused to block enforcement of a new law that requires abortion doctors in Oklahoma to be board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology. "This court … believes that irreparable harm would occur if we don't put this requirement into effect," Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy Truong said. (Clay, 10/4)
AP:
Oklahoma Judge Blocks 2 Abortion Laws, Allows 3 Others
Abortion clinics in Oklahoma already are being overwhelmed by patients from Texas, where the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a law to take effect on Sept. 1 that made it illegal to perform abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around the sixth week of pregnancy. About 11 women from Texas received abortion services at the Trust Women clinic in Oklahoma City in August. That number increased to 110 last month, said Rebecca Tong, co-executive director of Trust Women. Similar increases are being reported at abortion clinics in Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. (Murphy, 10/4)
In abortion news from Missouri —
AP:
New Rules On Missouri Abortion Clinics Set To Take Effect
Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s administration has enacted more rules on Missouri abortion clinics. The new emergency regulations, which take effect Oct. 13, require abortion providers to cooperate with state health department investigators and ensure physicians perform pelvic exams 72 hours before abortions, if medically necessary. (10/4)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Missouri Governor Tries New Tactic In Ongoing Attempt To Shut Down Planned Parenthood
Gov. Mike Parson’s administration has issued an emergency rule designed to give agencies under his control another tool to close down Missouri’s lone abortion provider. The rule, which goes into effect Oct. 13, will allow one agency to share health inspection reports with another, potentially making it easier for the state to withhold funding. It’s part of the ongoing push by the Republican administration and the GOP-controlled Legislature to put Planned Parenthood out of business. (Erickson, 10/4)
In updates on Texas' abortion law —
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Supreme Court Refuses To Resume Lawsuit Challenging Abortion Law
The Texas Supreme Court denied a request Monday from Planned Parenthood to resume its lawsuit, filed in a state district court, that challenges the state’s near-total abortion ban. Planned Parenthood asked the all-Republican court last week to overturn the Texas Multidistrict Litigation Panel’s decision to indefinitely pause its suit alongside 13 other lawsuits filed in Travis County district court. The panel of five judges stopped the cases from continuing at the request of Texas Right to Life, a prominent anti-abortion organization that helped draft Texas’ abortion restrictions. (Oxner, 10/4)
Houston Chronicle:
'Flooded With Calls': Neighboring States See Surge In Texans Seeking Abortions Since Sept. 1 Ban
The new Texas abortion ban has spurred a flood of women traveling sometimes hundreds of miles to access the procedure in neighboring states. The law, which prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and calls for lets private citizens to enforce it by filing lawsuits, has been in effect for just over a month. But already, clinics in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado and New Mexico have said they’re being inundated with Texas patients. “We haven’t seen numbers like this ever,” Dr. Rebecca Cohen, a Denver OB/GYN, told CBS News last month. (Blackman, 10/4)
NPR:
Poll: Most Republicans Oppose Texas Abortion Law Provisions
A clear majority of Americans, including most Republicans, opposes key provisions of the controversial new Texas abortion law, the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many women know they're pregnant. It also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion. The survey found that almost 6 in 10 Americans oppose a ban on abortions after cardiac activity is detected, at about six to eight weeks into a typical pregnancy. That includes 59% of Republicans, 61% of Democrats and 53% of independents. (Montanaro, 10/4)
PBS NewsHour:
Where Americans Stand On Abortion Restrictions As A New Supreme Court Term Opens
74 percent of Americans said they oppose a law that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or others who provide any assistance. This majority holds across party lines: 90 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independents don’t support such a law. 18 percent of Americans support the rule, including 33 percent of Republicans, 18 percent of independents and 7 percent of Democrats. Women are more likely than men to oppose the law (79 percent vs. 68 percent), and the same is true of people younger than 45 compared to those 45 and older (77 percent versus 71 percent). (Jones, 10/4)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Has All But Banned Abortion. But A Mississippi Law Could Be What Ends Roe V. Wade.
As the battle over Texas’ law that effectively bans abortions six weeks into pregnancy plays out in the courts, advocates on both sides are closely watching a highly anticipated Mississippi case heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. Anti-abortion advocates see an opportunity for the conservative-leaning high court to overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing Texas to end the practice outright. But reproductive rights groups are holding out hope that the court affirms abortion rights in a way that overrides elements of Texas’ new law. Mississippi passed a law in 2018 attempting to prohibit all abortions after 15 weeks, challenging Roe v. Wade’s landmark 1973 decision that legalized the procedure nationwide before fetal viability, which is around 24 weeks of gestation. The state law never went into effect because a federal appellate court blocked its enforcement. (Bohra, 10/5)
