Oklahoma Supreme Court Deems “Personhood” Law Unconstitutional

An attempt the change the Oklahoma constitution to define and embryo is a person is unconstitutional says the state’s highest court.

The state’s highest court ruled unanimously that a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that would define a fertilized human egg as a person violates a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a Pennsylvania case and “is clearly unconstitutional.” Supporters of the personhood amendment are trying to gather enough signatures to put it before Oklahoma voters on the November ballot.

Opponents contend the measure would ban abortions without exception and interfere with a woman’s right to use certain forms of contraception and medical procedures, such as in vitro fertilization.

Last week, Oklahoma House Republicans decided not to bring the bill up for a vote realizing it would likely never pass court muster.  In April,  an Oklahoma court struck down an attempt to force women seeking abortions to have look at ultrasound images and listen to a detailed description of the fetus.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.