Abortion has dropped to zero following the state’s abortion ban, according to the state health department.
This comes after Republican State Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law in May 2022 the most restrictive abortion ban in the country.
The measure was similar to Texas, which includes a private right of action as enforcement, but instead of protecting babies at six weeks when their heartbeat can be detected, as the Lone Star State law does, it starts protecting unborn children at conception, when their life begins.
Most recently, the Charlotte Lozier Institute reported that the state’s abortion ban was successful in helping women and protecting thousands of babies.
“There were 2,160 abortions reported in Oklahoma in 2022, down significantly (by 70 percent) from 7,287 in 2021 (Fig. 1). Chemical abortions dropped 75 percent from 5,009 in 2021 to 1,255 in 2022, making up 58 percent of total Oklahoma abortions. The Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) estimates that Oklahoma’s state abortion rate decreased 70 percent to 2.7 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 and is at its lowest point since the state started using its current reporting format in 2002,” the report read.
Texas had the nation’s first abortion ban, which led to numerous abortions of babies in that state. With Oklahoma now protecting babies as well, it is anticipated that the state’s decision to protect unborn children will help prevent additional abortions in Texas.
“Unlike previous years, in 2022, a majority (58 percent) of Oklahoma abortions were performed on women from other states, compared to 42 percent performed on Oklahoma residents. Of the out-of-state residents who had an abortion in Oklahoma, 1,119 were Texas residents (52 percent of the Oklahoma total), while women from Arkansas (92 abortions), Missouri (24), Kansas (13), and Louisiana (five) also obtained abortions in Oklahoma in 2022,” the report continued.
This comes as the national right to abortion is no more in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.” Abortion debates will now take place in state legislatures rather than in Congress or before the Supreme Court because there is no longer a universal right to the procedure.
When it comes to defending women and unborn children, Oklahoma is a great example for other states to follow.
