Oklahoma Supreme Court Blocks 3 New Anti-Abortion Laws

Oklahoma’s Supreme Court on Monday blocked three anti-abortion laws that were scheduled to take effect Nov. 1 that abortion rights supporters say would have devastated abortion access in the state.

In a 5-3 ruling , the court granted a temporary injunction that keeps the laws from taking effect. All three appointees of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt dissented, and one judge didn’t vote.

One law would have required all doctors who perform abortions in Oklahoma to be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, which would have forced about half the abortion providers in Oklahoma to stop providing abortions. The other two would create new restrictions on medication-induced abortions.

“The Oklahoma Supreme Court recognized that these laws would cause irreparable harm to Oklahomans,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which helped challenge the laws, said in a statement. “All of these laws have the same goal: to make it harder to get an abortion in Oklahoma. We will continue to fight in court to ensure these laws are struck down for good. Politicians should not be meddling in the private health decisions of Oklahomans.”