Legislation
GOVERNOR HENRY’S VETO OF ABORTION BILL IS VICTIM OF LEGISLATIVE OVERRIDE
6.26.08
Governor Brad Henry issued a veto of Senate Bill 1878, an Omnibus Anti-Abortion Bill on the evening of Wednesday April 16, 2008. The Oklahoma State Senate voted 37-11 to override the veto on Thursday, April 17, 2008. Less than an hour later, the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted 81-15 to override.
Among the worst of the provisions of the new law are the following:
It requires doctors to perform vaginal ultrasounds prior to every abortion procedure. Patients have no choice in the matter. Oklahoma is currently state with such a law.
A woman’s right to receive urgent medical treatment would be impeded at a hospital if an employee refused to treat her based on moral or religious grounds.
A woman’s right to receive an non-surgical abortion using medication can be restricted by limiting a doctor’s ability to administer the drug and hampering the physician’s discretion to determine appropriate medical care. This non-surgical method of terminating early pregnancy has been proven to be both safe and effective.
The ACLU of Oklahoma was successful at urging many people contact Governor Henry to urge his veto of Senate Bill 1878. In addition, the ACLU sent hundreds of letters to constituents in targeted legislative districts asking constituents to contact More >
VOTER ID BILL FAILS IN OKLAHOMA SENATE
6.26.08
Senate Bill 1150 failed to garner the 25 votes needed on May 14, 2008 to require Oklahomans to provide proof of identity in order to vote. SB 1150, authored by Senator John Ford, would have required Oklahomans to provide a photo ID, bank statement, government check, or pay check the next time they went to the polls. The ACLU of Oklahoma praised those senators who voted against a voter ID bill.
“Voting is a fundamental right that should be exercised without unnecessary burdens,” said ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director Joann Bell. “We are grateful to the Senators who understand that requiring proof of identity is essentially requiring Oklahomans to pay to vote.”
The failure of SB 1150 comes on the heels of the US Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana’s voter ID requirement.
“We have incidents of eligible Indiana voters who were unable to vote because of lack of proper identification in that state’s primary,” said ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director C.S. Thornton. “According to reports, elderly nuns, a college student who had an out of state driver’s license, a newly married woman whose last name did not match the name on her registration were all eligible voters and were all turned away for More >
Immigration Controversy Continues
8.23.07
MALDEF & ACLU
House Bill 1804, passed during the 2007 session of the Oklahoma Legislature and signed by Governor Brad Henry, will require local law enforcement, state agencies, municipal government and small businesses to enforce federal immigration restrictions. The new law, the Oklahoma Taxpayers and Citizens Protection Act (OTCPA), will take effect on November 1, 2007.
ACLU of Oklahoma Legal Director C.S. Thornton and Program Coordinator Tamya Cox have been analyzing the OTCPA in conjunction with the ACLU National Immigrants’ Rights Project to determine what portions of the statute might be vulnerable to challenges on constitutional grounds. In addition, Thornton, Cox and Legal Intern Manish Rajwar have met extensively with representatives of advocacy groups involved with Oklahoma’s residents of Latin American descent.
Affiliate representatives met in Tulsa with advocates from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and other organizations on June 2, 2007. Later in the day, ACLU staff participated in a public meeting at Tulsa’s East Central High School with concerned members of the Hispanic community.
A conference featuring a presentation about the OTCPA by David Blatt of Tulsa’s Community Action Project was held in Tulsa on June 5, 2007. The ACLU joined in discussion with representatives from advocacy groups and More >
