Earlier this month, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law House Bill 1168, which would criminalize the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol. Nimra Chowdhry is a senior state legislative counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. She says Oklahoma already has a law on the books that makes all abortions illegal, except when necessary to preserve the mother's life.
“What really makes this legislation more unique is that it's really taking this disgusting attempt to scare Oklahomans out of seeking abortion care, and this time it's scaring parents, family members and community members.”
“Chowdhry says that if a person seeks an abortion in another state and brings back the second dose of a prescribed abortion-inducing medication in Oklahoma, they could face up to 10 years in prison or a $100,000 fine. She says the law is ambiguous about many things, including how to determine if these medications are being used for, quote, ‘lawful medical purpose.’
“I want to emphasize that it's hard to see what exceptions really look like in practice. And this bill raises this question — chief amongst them is who will enforce this legislation. There is, in fact, no language around enforcement in the bill signed into law.”
Another quirk about this law is that it was originally brought forward and passed out of the Oklahoma House during the 2025 session. The state minority leader, Julia Kirt, told the Oklahoma Voice that the bill was being used as an item for political campaigning and was tossed on the agenda hastily. Chowdhry agrees.
“This legislation was originally introduced a year ago and sat dormant for a year. Then all of a sudden on April 30, it was on the Senate floor, and colleagues across the aisle did not even get notice that this legislation was going to be heard. It was bulldozed straight through the Senate and ended up on the governor's desk.”
Senators on both sides of the aisle offered statements on the new law. Sen. David Bullard, lead sponsor of the bill, says the abortion pill wipes out generations of unborn lives, and he is proud the Senate took the steps to protect innocent babies. Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Carri Hicks of Oklahoma City says if the goal is truly to support life, then the state should be investing in prenatal care, postpartum support and access to health care, not expanding felony penalties on Oklahomans.
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