Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Abortion Providers, Loosens 'Medical Emergency' Restriction

A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court narrowly ruled on Tuesday that the state constitution protects a woman’s right to have an abortion when a doctor deems it necessary to save her life. “We hold that the Oklahoma Constitution creates an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life,” read the 5-4 majority opinion (pdf), which comes with six separate concurring and dissenting opinions. To have this “inherent right,” according to the state’s highest court, means that a woman gets to choose to end...