OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma laws requiring women seeking abortions to have an ultrasound image placed in front of them while they hear a description of the fetus and that ban offlabel use of certain abortioninducing drugs are unconstitutional, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
The state’s highest court determined that lower court judges were right to halt the laws. In separate decisions, the Oklahoma Supreme Court said the laws violated a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court case.
The Oklahoma court said it has a duty to “follow the mandate of the United States Supreme Court on matters of federal constitutional law.”
The Legislature passed the ultrasound law in 2010.
Oklahoma is one of several states that have passed laws requiring doctors to both perform an ultrasound and provide a verbal description of the fetus before an abortion. The other law was approved in 2011.
The other law, approved in 2011, required doctors tofollow strict guidelines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and prohibited off-label uses of certain abortion-inducing drugs such as RU-486. Such moves include changing a recommended dosage or prescribing it for different symptoms than the drug was initially approved for.
The law also required doctors to examine women before prescribing the drugs, document certain medical conditions and schedule follow-up appointments.
The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights challenged both laws, and Oklahoma County judges had halted their enforcement while the court cases made their way through the judicial system.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/05/2012