Just a day after lawmakers in Oklahoma passed a bill that would make performing an abortion in the state a felony, Governor Mary Fallin did not wait long to cast her veto on the measure on Friday.
On Thursday, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.
Fallin vetoed the measure, saying the bill was "vague" and "would not withstand a criminal constitutional legal challenge," kfor.com reports.
"The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered 'necessary to preserve the life of the mother," Fallin said. "The absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application."
"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 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."
The state's Senate earlier voted 33-12 to pass SB 1552, which makes it a felony for any person to perform an abortion procedure with a punishment of one to three years in prison.
"No person shall perform or induce an abortion upon a pregnant woman," the bill reads.
It bars physicians who performed an abortion from obtaining or renewing their license to practice medicine in Oklahoma.
Republican state Sen. Nathan Dahm, sponsor of the bill, said he hopes the legal challenge goes to the U.S. Supreme Court and results in overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalised abortion in the U.S.
"Most people know I am for defending rights. Those rights begin at conception," he said, according to The Oklahoman.
Planned Parenthood executive vice president Dawn Laugens described the bill as "an assault to women," LifeSiteNews reported.
Republican Sen. Ervin Yen, a doctor, voted against the bill, which he called "insane."
"It will be declared null and void," he predicted.
Democratic presidential bet Hillary Clinton attacked the measure as "unconstitutional."
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue called the legislation "a shameful new low for the anti-choice movement."
She called the measure "reckless and dangerous" for punishing women who undergo abortions. She predicted that it will not stand in court.
"By creating an effective ban on abortion, Senate Bill 1552 is one of the most extreme anti-choice measures imaginable," said Ryan Kiesel, American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma executive director.
He said Oklahoma is suffering from its worst budget crisis in history and he cannot imagine Fallin signing the bill.
