NEWSFLASH: “Fetal Personhood” Law Passes Oklahoma Senate

A bill declaring a fertilized egg to be a “person” with constitutional rights has passed the Oklahoma Senate. The bill is expected to pass the Republican-controlled House and be signed into law by the state’s anti-abortion governor, Mary Fallin.

Personhood laws would drastically limit women’s medical options:

By giving constitutional rights to a fertilized egg, the amendment could ban emergency contraception, birth control pills and IUDs as well as all abortions, even in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman or girl. It could eliminate medical choices for women, such as some cancer treatments or in vitro fertilization. It could allow the state to investigate and even prosecute a woman for a miscarriage.

Such measures have been unpopular with voters. A personhood measure on Mississippi’s November ballot suffered a resounding defeat. But personhood’s proponents are pressing on in 2012, with campaigns in 11 states and counting.

New Legislation Would Prevent Minors From Traveling For Abortions

This week Senators Marco Rubio and Orrin Hatch introduced the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), which would make it a crime to take a teen across state lines to obtain an abortion if she’s trying to evade parental notification laws in her home state. It would also require doctors performing abortions on out-of-state minors to notify the parents. The Senators say this will ensure state laws are being enforced. In actuality, it would put new hardships on teens in difficult situations.