Oklahoma Supreme Court clarifies medical exemptions in the state's abortion ban

The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday, stating definitively that Oklahomans have a right to life-saving abortions, whether there’s an emergency or not.

The ruling was a 5-4 decision. The majority argued that Oklahomans have a right to life, and that forcing them to wait for their life-saving abortions until there is a medical emergency further endangers their lives. The minority argued that Oklahoma’s constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to an abortion any time, and that the Legislature acted appropriately when it limited abortions to imminent medical emergencies.

When lawmakers passed several bills banning abortion last year, they included an exception for medical emergencies. The wording was vague. It didn’t have a list of qualifying conditions. Medical and legal experts raised concerns that this would leave doctors wondering how much danger was enough to protect them from a decade in prison.