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                     Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Abortion Bill

   by VOA News

   Oklahoma's governor on Friday vetoed a bill that would have effectively
   outlawed abortion in the state by making it a felony for doctors to
   perform the procedure.

   Republican Governor Mary Fallin said the bill would not withstand a
   legal challenge.

   "While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of
   the United States Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, this
   legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination," Fallin said in a
   statement.  Roe v. Wade is the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision that
   legalized abortion in the United States.

   The bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Nathan Dahm, had said he hoped
   the legislation would help to overturn the landmark ruling.

   On Thursday, Oklahoma's Senate approved the bill, which said that
   anyone, including doctors, who performed an abortion would be found
   guilty of a felony and punished by up to three years in prison. The
   measure would have also revoked the Oklahoma medical licenses of most
   physicians who participated in such procedures. The legislation said an
   abortion could be performed legally only if it was done to save the
   mother's life.

   Abortion rights groups said the bill was the first of its kind in the
   nation and called it unconstitutional.

   Oklahoma lawmakers can still try to override the governor's veto, which
   requires a two-thirds majority in both the state House and Senate.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/oklahoma-governor-vetoes-abortion-bill/3339638.html