Oklahoma Supreme Court rules restricting drug-induced abortions is unconstitutional

Oklahoma’s Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped a state law that restricts access to drug-induced abortions, according to The Associated Press.

The 2014 measure, signed by then-Gov. Mary Fallin (R), outlawed “off-label” use of mifepristone, or RU-486, an abortifacient medication, making Oklahoma the only state with such a restriction on the books. The Center for Reproductive Rights sued over the law in September 2014 and a state district court blocked it in November 2017.

{mosads}The state appealed the decision to the high court, which upheld the decision Tuesday after previously leaving it in place in 2016 to allow the lower-court litigation to proceed.

The 2014 law required doctors to obey a 2000 FDA labeling protocol for medical termination of pregnancies, rather than a 2016 labeling protocol, and “place[d] a substantial obstacle in the path of women’s choice and place[d] an undue burden on the woman’s rights,” the state supreme court ruled.

“It’s crucial that patients receive truthful, accurate, evidence-based information about their health care,” said Danielle Williams, co-board president of Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice. “This restriction was sold as a measure to protect women’s health, but in reality it would have forced doctors to administer triple the necessary dose of medication abortion drugs. It is a stark reminder that many anti-abortion policies come at the direct expense of women’s healthcare, so we are very glad the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against this restriction.”

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter’s (R) office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.