Oklahoma Senate votes to ban abortions after 6 weeks

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation to essentially prohibit abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy.

The Senate voted 36-8 on Thursday for the bill, which now heads to the House for consideration. It would prohibit doctors from performing abortions, beginning at six weeks of pregnancy, if a fetal heartbeat or brain waves are detected.

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood’s advocacy arm says that many women are unaware that they are pregnant at six weeks, which could be just two weeks after a missed period if the woman has a regular cycle. Further concerns were voiced about the fact that there are also no exceptions in the bill for cases of rape, incest, or potential harm to the mother.

Oklahoma currently prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.