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Bill would let Oklahoma voters decide abortion question

Posted at 3:46 PM, Mar 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-14 16:46:33-04

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Voters in Oklahoma would decide whether the state Constitution guarantees the right to an abortion under a bill that's heading to the Oklahoma House.

The state Senate voted 40-8 on Thursday for the bill that would let voters decide whether to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to clarify that it doesn't protect the right of a woman to receive an abortion.

Republican Sen. Greg Treat wrote the bill and says it addresses a "real threat." Treat says supreme courts in other states such as Iowa have ruled their state constitutions guarantee women freedom to make their own health decisions, including abortion.

Treat's bill replaces an earlier version that would have automatically banned abortions in Oklahoma if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

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