OKLAHOMA CITY (April 22nd) – Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, on Monday passed legislation through the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that would make it a felony to traffic abortion pills.
House Bill 1168 would create a felony trafficking offense for someone to deliver or possess with the intent to deliver abortion-inducing drugs if that person knows or has reason to believe that the drug will be used by someone to have an illegal abortion as defined in law.
The bill will crack down on those distributing abortion-inducing pills, including delivery services that facilitate home delivery of mifepristone, misoprostol or similar drugs, Bullard said.
“This legislation is crucial to protecting unborn lives and saving young women from the dangerous medical and mental health risks associated with abortion-inducing drugs,” Senator Bullard said. “The sole purpose of the RU-486 drug cocktail is to murder innocent children. We must also consider the mental health impacts and the physical harm these drugs cause women. I refuse to stand idly by while these drugs are shipped across Oklahoma and unborn children are murdered.”
Under this legislation, anyone convicted of trafficking or attempting to traffic abortion-inducing pills could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000 or both. These penalties match those in existing law for performing an illegal abortion.
HB 1168 does not apply to using the drugs for purposes other than abortions and would not apply to miscarriages. The bill also does not prohibit the sale of contraceptives.
HB 1168 is now eligible to be heard on the Senate floor. Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, is the principal House author.
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