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Roe v Wade: Ban on abortion is 'the preservation of the right to life'

Wendi Stearman, a Republican representative in the Oklahoma state legislature, says that abortion is now not permitted in the state "under penalty of civil enforcement".

Millions of women in the US will lose the constitutional right to abortion, after the Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision. The judgement paves the way for individual states to ban the procedure. Half are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans. Thirteen have already passed so-called trigger laws to automatically outlaw abortion, including Oklahoma.

Wendi Stearman, a Republican representative in the Oklahoma state legislature, says that abortion is now not permitted in the state "under penalty of civil enforcement", and that the only justifiable exception is for the life of the mother to be saved, but not where conception has followed rape or incest. She says she believes it is the government's responsibility to preserve life, and not the mother.

"(Reversing Roe v Wade) is a preservation of the right to life. It is the responsibility of our government to protect life."

Photo. Anit-abortion activists hold signs outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2022 Credit: Getty Images

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