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WAITING FOR THE SUPREME COURT, STATES ACT ON THEIR OWN
By Adam Kemp, @Adam_WK ([link removed])
Communities Correspondent, Oklahoma City

As the country awaits a final decision on abortion from the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, health care providers, politicians and anti-abortion advocates across the nation are preparing for all possibilities.

An Oklahoma bill prohibiting all abortions ([link removed]) with few exceptions – poised to become the strictest ban in the nation – is expected to be signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt this week.

House Bill 4327 outlaws all abortions in Oklahoma from the moment of “fertilization” unless medically necessary to save the life of the mother. The bill provides exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest but only if those incidents were reported to police.

The bill allows for citizens to sue anyone who "performs or induces" or "aids of abets the performance" of an abortion and specifies that a minimum of $10,000 be awarded to prevailing plaintiffs who bring the lawsuit to court.

Shortly before lawmakers voted on the bill, they debated the legislation on the Oklahoma House floor. Democrats accused Republicans of putting the lives of Oklahomans at risk and turning neighbor against neighbor. Republicans – who overwhelmingly control the chamber – said they would do all they could to protect “unborn children.”
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In a 73-16 vote Thursday, Oklahoma lawmakers passed a near-total ban on abortions. Video courtesy of Oklahoma House of Representatives
Before passing the total ban, state lawmakers in early May passed a bill prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant.

Interim President and CEO Emily Wales of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which serves patients in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, said the group’s two clinics in Oklahoma stopped providing abortions altogether.

“This is not one more ban – it is a first,” Wales said in a news conference following Thursday’s passage of HB 4327. “[The bill] encourages bounty hunters to sue their neighbors. It’s a reversal of history happening before our eyes.”

Oklahoma lawmakers have passed a slew of anti-abortion measures ([link removed]) this year, including Senate Bill 612, which will make it a felony to perform an abortion and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Most people across the country do not want to ban or permit abortion in all circumstances, instead, falling somewhere in between, according to the latest poll from the PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist. Sixty-one percent of Americans in the latest poll support abortion rights ([link removed]) , including a third of Republicans. There was no single overwhelming answer to the question of at what point in pregnancy abortion should be permitted, though 82 percent of people feel abortion should be allowed at any time if necessary to protect the pregnant person.

Ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling, some states, like Oklahoma, have added restrictions to abortion access, while others have sought to strengthen abortion rights.

Here’s a snapshot of what is happening to abortion access in other states, from the NewsHour’s communities correspondents:
* California: In a state where overturning Roe v. Wade is highly unpopular ([link removed]) , the legislature is working to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would further guarantee the right to abortion, which then-Gov. Ronald Reagan made legal in 1967 ([link removed]) . California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is running for reelection this year, called the leaked draft opinion that favored overturning Roe a “wake up” moment ([link removed]) and in recent weeks has energized voters ([link removed]) to turn out and elect those who will defend the right to an abortion. – Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado ([link removed])

The only clinic that provides abortions in Missouri is located in St. Louis. A “Still Here” banner was installed on the side of the Planned Parenthood facility in spring 2019. A new “90 Years” banner went up in April. Photos courtesy of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region & Southwest Missouri
* Missouri: Missouri passed a trigger law ([link removed]) in 2019 that would put a near-complete ban on abortion in place in the absence of Roe. The bill only makes an exception for medical emergencies. The law has had a complicated legal journey. After it was initially blocked by a federal judge a day before it was set to take effect, it was then upheld ([link removed]) in June 2021 by a panel of federal appeals court judges. Then in a rare move, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the following month to review that ruling, hearing arguments in September. The court has yet to come to a decision as the future of Roe looms. In early May, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said he was prepared to take action
([link removed]) to allow the abortion ban to take effect if Roe is thrown out. – Gabrielle Hays ([link removed])
* Michigan: If the Court does overturn Roe, a 1931 Michigan law ([link removed]) could go back into effect, making abortion a felony. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has filed a lawsuit ([link removed]) challenging the 1931 law under the due process and equal protection clauses of the Michigan Constitution. In another lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood, a Michigan judge has issued a preliminary injunction temporarily barring enforcement ([link removed]) of the 1931 law. Meanwhile, reproductive rights activists are collecting signatures to try to get a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive freedom on the November ballot ([link removed](2022)) . – Frances Kai-Hwa Wang ([link removed])
* Louisiana: Currently, Louisiana state law allows abortions up to 20 weeks; laws banning abortions at 15 and six weeks, respectively, have also been passed but cannot take effect unless Roe is overturned. There are only three clinics remaining in Louisiana ([link removed]) , which are already overwhelmed with an influx of patients from other states. On May 12, Louisiana House lawmakers weakened a controversial bill ([link removed]) that included language seeking to classify abortions as homicide, which would have allowed prosecutors to criminally charge people undergoing the procedure. Another bill currently under consideration would, in effect, ban abortion medication by mail ([link removed]) . – Roby Chavez ([link removed])

WHAT ABORTION COULD MEAN FOR THE MIDTERMS
By Laura Santhanam, @LauraSanthanam ([link removed])
Health Reporter & Coordinating Producer for Polling

Forty-nine percent of Americans are more likely to vote this November following the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll ([link removed]) .
Image by Megan McGrew/PBS NewsHour

Democrats were more likely than Republicans and independents to say the leaked draft opinion is a motivating factor to vote this November – two-thirds felt that way.

Following one of the most profound threats to abortion rights in nearly 50 years, Democrats saw a bump in support among voters since the last poll ([link removed]) in their thinking about who to vote for this fall. Forty-seven percent of U.S. adults surveyed say they plan to support their Democratic congressional candidate in November, while 42 percent say they will back the Republican – a shift from April's poll.

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Matt Loffman, @mattloff ([link removed])
Politics Producer

If it’s Tuesday … it’s another primary ([link removed]) election day ([link removed]) .

In Arkansas, former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders is seeking the Republican nomination for governor ([link removed]) . Her father, Mike Huckabee, previously served two terms as the state’s chief executive.

Cook Political Report says this is a “safe” Republican seat, and if Sanders wins in November, Huckabee and Sanders will make history as just the second father-daughter duo elected as governors in U.S. history – and the first pair to serve the same state.

Our question: Who were the first father and daughter to both be elected as governors? And what states (yes, states) did they serve?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Of the 144 “unidentified aerial phenomenon” (UAPs) investigated by top U.S. defense intelligence officials last year, only one incident could be identified with “high confidence.” What was it?

The answer: “A large, deflating balloon.” ([link removed]) The other UAPs “remain unexplained,” the report said.

Congratulations to our winners: Jackie Austin and Francine Ly!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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