Oklahoma State Senate Passes ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bill - EmpowHER.com
The Oklahoma Senate approved a bill on Tuesday that would require doctors to tell women they have the right to hear the heartbeat of the fetus before the pregnancy is terminated.
The Heartbeat Informed Consent Act was passed by a 34-8 vote and will go to the Oklahoma House, where pro-life Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 2-1 margin.
The original version of the bill had required a woman to hear the fetal heartbeat before an abortion. But the author, Republican Senator Dan Newberry of Tulsa, amended the measure to require only that an abortion provider inform a patient of her right to hear the heartbeat.
Even so, Newberry said the proposed law is important to further “a culture of life” in Oklahoma.