Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed a bill into law prohibiting most abortions after fertilization - the strictest abortion ban in the U.S.
The law went into effect immediately upon signature.
As reported by Just the News, modeled after the Texas abortion law, private citizens in Oklahoma will now be able to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion “from any stage of gestation from fertilization until birth.”
The law contains exceptions - to save the life of a pregnant mother and in cases of “rape, sexual assault, or incest that has been reported to law enforcement.”
As previously reported by Human Events News, the law passed the Oklahoma Legislature last week.
"I promised Oklahomans that as governor I would sign every piece of pro-life legislation that came across my desk and I am proud to keep that promise today," Stitt wrote in a press release.
"From the moment life begins at conception is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect that baby’s life and the life of the mother. That is what I believe and that is what the majority of Oklahomans believe," he said. "If other states want to pass different laws, that is their right, but in Oklahoma we will always stand up for life."