Oklahoma passes a bill to make most abortions illegal

Oklahoma passes a bill to make most abortions² illegal

Transcript³

The Oklahoma legislature passed a bill that bans virtually all abortions. The measure would make performing an abortion¹ a felony with a 10-year prison term — except to save the woman's life.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Medical providers in Oklahoma who perform abortions will face up to 10 years in prison if a new bill passed by the Legislature goes into effect. With no debate and limited discussion, the Republican-controlled House voted to make abortions a felony, while hundreds of abortion rights supporters rallied outside the state Capitol. The measure now awaits a signature from Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who previously⁴ said he would sign any anti-abortion legislation. Catherine Sweeney is with the public radio initiative StateImpact Oklahoma, and I asked her this morning what makes this ban different.

CATHERINE SWEENEY: The big thing is context. So right below us, Texas recently banned the vast majority of abortions, which drove up demand here in Oklahoma. I talked Iman Alsaden, who's the medical director for Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains. In the last four months of 2020, before that ban, Texans, 50 of them or so, came to this Great Plains region, the Planned Parenthood clinics here, for abortion services. After that ban, the last four months of 2021, it was about 1,100. So Oklahoma providers are treating those people and their own. Here's Alsaden.

IMAN ALSADEN: Absolutely. The burden on New Mexico and Kansas and Louisiana is going to be immense.

SWEENEY: There's also concerns that the U.S. Supreme⁵ Court won't step in in ways that there weren't concerns about that in the past.

MARTINEZ: So it sounds like Oklahoma's ban could have a pretty big impact on the region.

SWEENEY: That's definitely for sure. Again, we're treating people from other states, and if Oklahoma stops providing abortions, abortion rights activists⁶ are concerned that that will just push further north. And also, Kansas is considering a ban on a ballot⁷ initiative that they'll vote on in August.

MARTINEZ: Catherine, did this vote come as any surprise?

SWEENEY: Yes and no. So the House, the GOP-controlled House, passed the bill with 70 votes for, 14 against. It was a surprise because that bill had been assumed dormant⁸. It got almost to the finish line last year, seemingly disappeared. They kind of brought it back with just one vote this year. It didn't have to go through the whole process. So that came as a surprise. But the Legislature has passed about a dozen abortion bills this year, abortion restriction⁹ bills, and they seem to be retrying past ones. They actually passed a bill just like this in 2016. The governor then vetoed it. But we have a new governor now, and Governor Stitt has said he'll sign any abortion restriction measures that make it to his desk.

MARTINEZ: So what's next in the fight for reproductive rights?

SWEENEY: That bill that criminalizes performing abortions, that's going to the governor's desk. He's expected to sign it. Actually, today a House committee will vote on another bill that's a copycat of the ban in Texas. And we'll see if there are injunctions on any of these bills. Like I said, there are about a dozen. We don't know which ones will manage to go into effect. In the coming months, the Supreme Court will consider Mississippi's abortion law, which could result in the removal of the right to an abortion, as has been guaranteed by Roe¹⁰ v. Wade¹¹ since 1973.

MARTINEZ: Reporter Catherine Sweeney of public radio initiative StateImpact Oklahoma. Catherine, thanks.

SWEENEY: Thank you.

1 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

2 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

8 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

9 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

10 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

11 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。