Oklahoma governor vetoes controversial abortion bill
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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) vetoed a bill Friday that would've effectively banned abortions in the state by making it a felony for doctors to perform them. There was an exception only for doctors performing abortions on women whose lives are at risk, The Washington Post reports.
"The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered 'necessary to preserve the life of the mother,'" said Fallin, who has historically supported pro-life legislation.
The bill's author said he hoped the legislation, which he knew would be challenged in court if enacted, would ultimately lead to the Supreme Court re-examining Roe v Wade, The Hill reports. Fallin said she disagreed with pursuing that path for this particular bill.
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"In fact, the most direct path to a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade is the appointment of a conservative, pro-life justice to the United States Supreme Court," she said.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
