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Oklahoma Legislature Overrides
Vetoes of Pro-Life Bills
Part Three of Three By Liz Townsend When the legislature overrode a veto by Gov. Brad Henry, it meant that women in Oklahoma will now be given the opportunity to view an ultrasound and hear the facts about their baby's development before an abortion. That same day, April 27, the legislature overrode another veto by Henry to pass a bill banning "wrongful-life" lawsuits. Abortion clinics must now perform ultrasounds at least one hour before every abortion and position the screen so the woman, if she wishes, can see the images. If she chooses not to see her child, the abortionist is still obliged to describe "dimensions of the embryo or fetus, the presence of cardiac activity, if present and viewable, and the presence of external members and internal organs, if present and viewable," according to the law. "Ignorance isn't bliss, where life-or-death matters are concerned," said Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life. "And ignorance isn't forever. Someday she'll see an ultrasound--on television, on a friend's refrigerator. Better that she see it before undertaking an irrevocable, lethal act--rather than afterwards, when it's too late to change the outcome, and too late to avoid the psychological anguish and emotional devastation often caused by abortion." The legislature also overrode the veto of a second bill that denies claims for "wrongful life" lawsuits that contend that a disabled baby would have been better off if he or she had been aborted. The law states that "the birth of a child does not constitute a legally recognizable injury and that it is contrary to public policy to award damages because of the birth of a child or for the rearing of that child." "The law protects medical personnel from being required to conduct 'search and destroy missions' to find disabilities before birth," Lauinger explained. "It allows physicians to make it their priority to help women and their babies through pregnancy rather than ferreting out imperfections that would lead to abortions." Provisions of the two laws were part of a 2008 omnibus pro-life bill. A district court judge struck down the bill in August 2009, ruling that it violated the state's "single-subject" rule for legislation. Pro-life legislators then divided the omnibus bill into separate proposals, some of which had already passed this session. (See http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/April10/nv042010part3.html.) Gov. Henry vetoed the two bills April 22. On April 26 the House overrode the ultrasound bill veto by a vote of 81–14 and the "wrongful-life" veto by 84–12. The Oklahoma Senate voted 36–12 to override both bills the next day. An abortion clinic has already filed a challenge to the ultrasound law, claiming that it is unconstitutional, the AP reported. "The abortion industry has a strong desire to hide the truth from pregnant women when a human life is in the balance," said Lauinger. "Even though ultrasound is performed before virtually all abortions, abortion providers don't want women to see the images. This law is intended to protect women from harm as well as save the lives of unborn children." |