Senate Democrats and the Biden administration are scrambling for ways to protect access to abortion as states begin taking action to block the procedures before the Supreme Court releases a decision expected to reverse the 50-year-old legal precedent set by Roe vs. Wade.
While the Supreme Court has not yet released a ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a leaked draft of the decision has spurred lawmakers and officials on both sides of the debate to act before the decision is released. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the case by the end of the term at the end of June.
On Thursday, Oklahoma lawmakers raced to pass legislation to ban abortion after the point of fertilization, with limited exceptions. The ban would go into effect as soon as it is signed, and would be enforceable through citizen lawsuits similar to a Texas law that went into effect in 2021.
