Oklahoma Supreme Court Takes Down Abortion Law

On Tuesday, the highest court in Oklahoma struck down a law imposing restrictions on abortion providers, including a requirement to take samples of fetal tissue from patients younger than 14 to preserve them for state investigators. In the past Legislators have said the fetal tissue portion was aimed at the capture of child rapists, so that the law could protect a women's health. The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights however challenged this in court by saying it unfairly targeted doctors and facilities that perform abortions. In a unanimous opinion, the Oklahoma Supreme Court found the law violated the state constitution's requirement that each legislative bill must address only "one subject, " a rule designed to prevent legislators from including provisions that would not normally pass in popular bills.