Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill that would have made it a felony for doctors to perform abortions in the state. The Republican governor said the legislation would not have stood up against a constitutional legal challenge.
“The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘necessary to preserve the life of the mother,'” Fallin said Friday afternoon. “The absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application.
“While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, this legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination,” Fallin said. “In fact, the most direct path to a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade is the appointment of a conservative, pro-life justice to the United States Supreme Court.”
The Oklahoma Senate had approved the bill Thursday. The bill would have made it a felony to perform abortions in the state, in direct contradiction of federal law. Anybody peforming an abortion could have faced three years in prison and had his or her medical license revoked.
