Abortion Law Backers Vow Oklahoma Appeal

Source: New York Times

Published: August 19, 2009

HOUSTON — A day after a judge struck down an Oklahoma law requiring women seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound of the fetus and listen to a description of its attributes, the state said it would appeal the ruling, and Republican lawmakers vowed to pass the law again in a different form.

While advocates of abortion rights celebrated the victory in court, they acknowledged the fight against one of the most sweeping anti-abortion laws in the country was likely to continue for months in the Legislature and before the State Supreme Court.

“It is one battle in the war, but the war shall continue,” said Martha Hardwick, a Tulsa lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights.

On Tuesday, Judge Vicki L. Robertson of the Oklahoma County District Court ruled the omnibus abortion bill — which lawmakers passed over the veto of Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, in 2008 — violated a clause in the State Constitution requiring that bills deal with only one subject. Judge Robertson did not rule on whether the law, which rolled together five separate anti-abortion measures, violated constitutional protections of privacy and freedom of speech.

Charlie Price, a spokesman for Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson, said Wednesday that an appeal would be filed with the State Supreme Court. The state will argue that the law does not violate the single-subject rule, because all its parts are germane to abortion, Mr. Price said.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/us/20abort.html

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Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson is a Democrat and candidate Governor of Oklahoma in the 2010 election cycle.

Related Latest Breaking News thread:
Law Requiring Ultrasounds for Abortions Is Struck Down (Oklahoma)

They probably describe breakfast as the War on Toast.

this case, Martha Hardwick. And yes, it's a constant, endless war, with battle after battle, fighting against all the insane bills introduced by all the freakin' insane fundie whackjobs in the OK Legislature.
Ms Hardwick is fightin' the good fight!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ACLU-of-Oklahoma/27760341061?v=feed&story_fbid=119615299646&ref=mf

The minimum wage
How fast they can drive
How much they would be taxed
How many guns they can own
That they have to wear a seat belt
That their kid needs a safety seat in the pick-up
That they have to bag their trash
etc etc etc

Simply amazing

I wonder whether there's any reason, other than politics, that the AG can't just choose to accept the ruling.

In some states the AGs are required to appeal all rulings adverse to the government.

In this case a law passed by the legislature.

They want the government out of their "things", but they have no problem with the government controlling their bodies.

:eyes:

In that case, lets just barcode these morons.

This dispute is about whether the law violates the state Constitution. The Federal courts will not get involved in that.

Bridges in the state are killing people because huge chunks of concrete are falling off of them onto people below.

We have a high unwed teen-age pregnancy rate.

I could go on and on. And the Republicans in this state are too fucking stupid to see that their lives suck because of who they vote for.

Get government out of our bedrooms and into taking care of the people!

that they have control of our state congress. it's truly embarrassing.

Seems to be one of the few states with a higher percentage of fundamentalist Christian conservatives than Texas. A very brave judge, even if she basically based her ruling on a technicality.

It has yet to be reported and may not be even if it happens, I would not be at all surprised
if the judge has had a death threat or two over this.
Oh, the irony !

rape or incest --

and there are still people who will tell you this isn't about controlling women

it's about a fetus!!!

There. I said it.

:)

& it is so true.