From The Edmond Sun:
A day after an Oklahoma judge struck down a law related to abortion-inducing drugs the Edmond lawmaker who authored it defended it during a press conference.
In May 2011, Gov. Mary Fallin signed House Bill 1970, authored by Rep. Randy Grau, R-Edmond, and Sen. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City. It required that abortion providers dispense abortion-inducing drugs in accordance with Food and Drug Administration guidelines and that physicians examine their patients before prescribing an abortion-inducing drug.
The bill also required physicians to schedule a follow-up appointment and provide the patient with the drug’s label to ensure the patient is fully aware of the risks associated with the drug.
In October 2011, the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Services, on behalf of its members, and Nova Health Systems challenged the measure via a civil rights action filed in Oklahoma County District Court.
[…]
Tuesday morning, Grau, Treat, Daniel McConchie, vice president of governmental affairs for Americans United For Life, and other supporters attended a press conference at the Capitol. The law was based on AUL model legislation.
The organization maintains the law offers women real protections from an unscrupulous and profit-driven abortion industry. It claims women have died when given abortion-inducing drugs under unapproved protocols championed by the industry.
“We believe that this is a war on women,” McConchie said echoing an oft-used phrase during the current presidential election cycle.
Grau, who has pointed out that the FDA regulates the use of the drug RU-486 (aka mifepristone and Mifeprex), said his primary concern is that these drugs are used properly to ensure the safety of women in Oklahoma.
Grau called the ruling “unprecedented,” and said the judge long-jumped Oklahoma’s right, and a duty, to regulate the use of drugs and medicine within its borders. He compared the issue to the debate surrounding regulation and access to the non-prescription drug pseudoephedrine, a drug used to relieve nasal congestion caused by colds that is also an ingredient used to make meth.
“The judge essentially found in the state constitution a fundamental right that does not exist,” Grau said.
For more on this news, read Mailee Smith’s blog post or AUL’s statement on the matter.
