The legal status of abortion has become murky in many states after the Supreme Court of The United States struck down Roe V Wade through the Dobbs ruling.
After this ruling the abortion laws in Oklahoma went back to an old law from 1910 that prohibits abortion, unless there’s a medical risk or a life-threatening situation.
Oklahoma tried to further tighten the noose around abortion with laws like SB 1603 and HB 4327. Amongst other things, these laws made abortion difficult even in situations where it would be seen as medically necessary. These laws also encouraged a civil enforcement mechanism, where a citizen could sue someone (including doctors) for performing or helping perform an abortion.
As you can guess, these two laws made it very difficult and almost nearly impossible for anyone to get an abortion in Oklahoma. Of course, medically necessary procedures for abortion suffered too, with doctors choosing to play it safe.
These laws were challenged in court, and the Supreme Court of Oklahoma struck down SB 1603 and HB 4327 as being unconstitutional.
Many people mistakenly assumed this change to mean that the court overturned the abortion ban in Oklahoma.
That is not the case.
The law formed in 1910 still remains in force, which means abortion is illegal in Oklahoma. However, this law allows for abortion to be performed when it’s medically necessary. Therefore, doctors don’t have to wait in cases where a medical intervention is seen as a necessity.
Other than these specific situations, abortion remains illegal in Oklahoma. The law in Oklahoma makes abortion a felony crime that can land a person in prison for up to five years.