US: Oklahoma High Court's big decision, declared two laws banning abortion unconstitutional
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Oklahoma High Court justices overturned both laws by a vote of 6-3. He said in his decision that both the laws were too complicated.
The High Court of the US state of Oklahoma has declared two laws banning abortion brought in last year unconstitutional. According to media reports, the laws that were declared unconstitutional in court were civil suits and relied on private civil suits. Criminal prosecution could not be conducted under this. The High Court ruling, however, will have no impact on the 1910 law, which still bans abortion in the state except under special circumstances.
The two laws had created a contradiction with regard to medical emergencies. Oklahoma High Court justices overturned both of these laws by a 6-3 vote. He said in his decision that both the laws were too complicated. The judges argued that a woman has a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy to preserve her life without the need for a medical emergency.
According to media reports, Oklahoma is one of several Republican-led states that have sought to ban abortion after the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year. Legal challenges have grown rapidly in the state following the ban on abortion. The issue of abortion has also become a new political front. Courts in some states have ruled that abortion rights are protected by state constitutions.
Doctors welcomed the decision
Doctors have welcomed this decision of the court. They say that uncertainty about the state's abortion laws forced women facing serious medical complications and non-viable pregnancies to wait for the situation to worsen before having an abortion. Dana Stone, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Oklahoma City, said: "We've had a number of cases when we've had to tell women that we'll offer a simple pregnancy termination to protect their health." First we have to monitor their condition and if they start showing signs of infection or blood pressure rises, then only we will be able to legally treat you.
