Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill passed by the GOP legislature that would have effectively banned abortion in the state, her office announced Friday. The bill would have made it a felony for a physician to conduct the procedure. Their medical licenses would have also been revoked under the legislation.
Fallin said in a statement she vetoed the bill because she did not think it would have survived a constitutional legal challenge.
“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 wrote in her veto message. “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.”
Fallin has signed 18 bills targeting reproductive services since she became governor in 2011. Many of them have been challenged in court.
