OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a near-total ban on abortion Tuesday, declaring it to be a big step toward his goal of making Oklahoma “the most pro-life state in the country” as states continue to follow Texas’ lead in imposing new restrictions.
The Oklahoma law is scheduled to go into effect in late August, but legal challenges are expected and the law would effectively be unenforceable unless the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in an opinion expected by June.
“We want to outlaw abortion,” Stitt said during the bill-signing ceremony. The governor, who along with others wore red roses as a symbol of the sanctity of life, has promised to sign any abortion restriction that lawmakers approve and send to his desk.
