OKLAHOMA CITY – In response to Governor Stitt’s comments during an interview on Fox News Sunday around Oklahoma politicians passing extremist Texas style abortion bans in our state, the ACLU of Oklahoma issued the following response:
The following is attributable to Tamya Cox-Touré, Executive Director:
“Attacks on abortion access disproportionately harm the same people who have always faced systemic barriers to care — communities of color, the 2SLGBTQ+ community, undocumented immigrants, young people, people living in rural communities, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes. Persistent disparities in healthcare access already put up substantial barriers to abortion care that will now be further exasperated. People who are denied abortions experience long-lasting health consequences as well as life-threatening complications. Furthermore, Black women disproportionately suffer from the severe maternal mortality crisis in this country and are three times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth.”
“The Governor’s comments come from a point of privilege, illustrate a lack in understanding of the daily lives of Oklahomans, and contradicts the actions of politicians in the legislature and his administration who continuously find new barriers to access the social services survivors might need. All of this in a state that incarcerates women at the highest rate per capita in the world, continues to push a negative stigma on survivors of domestic abuse through laws like failure to protect, and whose communities are already feeling the financial strains of a global pandemic.”
“Forcing someone to carry a pregnancy against their will results in increased levels of poverty and an inability to cover basic needs like food, housing, and transportation. People who are denied an abortion are more likely than those who receive an abortion to be living in poverty and lacking full-time employment six months after the denial of care and more likely to stay tethered to abusive partners. The financial wellbeing and development of the children they already have is negatively impacted when their parents are denied abortion care, as they are more likely to live below the federal poverty line as well as to have worse child development outcomes.”
“Everyone deserves access to abortion, and we must continue to demand our ability to access time-sensitive, compassionate abortion care. As anti-abortion lawmakers in Oklahoma attempt to pass abortion bans, we must speak out against these threats and demand that people have access to the health care they need, no matter where they live. The ACLU of Oklahoma will keep fighting to make sure every person can get the care they need without political obstacles being put in the way.”
