Oklahoma's 'Trigger Law' Goes Into Effect, Banning Nearly All Abortions

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John O'Connor are celebrating the Supreme Court's decision on Friday that overturns Roe v. Wade.

The court's ruling is the final formality in banning most abortions in Oklahoma.

"As of this morning, abortions performed in Oklahoma or solicited in Oklahoma are illegal," said O’Connor, a republican.

O'Connor, who was appointed by Stitt and running for election next week, certified section 861 of the Oklahoma statutes Friday morning.

That reinstates an abortion ban first passed in Oklahoma in 1910.

Governor Stitt has also signed several bills this session banning most abortions, with both civil and criminal penalties.

Those specific penalties will go into effect next month.

"In the Oklahoma law, there is no punishment for the mother, there is no criminal punishment, there is no civil exposure for the mother,” said O’Connor. “It's for the people who aid or abet or solicit abortion."

The law provides an exception for saving the life of a mother, but not for rape and incest.

However, O'Connor said the legislature could address that in future sessions and in future bills.

"Oklahoma is indeed the most pro-life state in the nation and we hope that other states will follow our lead," said O’Connor.

Oklahoma is one of more than a dozen states with similar laws in place that were triggered Friday, and more states are expected to enact similar restrictions after 30 days.

In nearby Kansas, voters will decide on August 2 whether to remove an amendment to the state constitution protecting a woman's right to abortion.