The Senate overwhelmingly passed what has been described as a pro-family measure on Wednesday, March 22 that protects women’s freedom to access birth control.
Senate Bill 368, by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, and Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, includes protections for contraceptive drugs, surgeries such as tubal ligation, and other treatments provided by authorized healthcare providers. It passed in the Senate with a 40-7 vote and now goes to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for consideration. All five Republican women in the Senate voted in favor of the bill.
“Being pro-family also means allowing Oklahomans the freedom to plan when to start or grow their family,” Garvin said. “When people have access to contraception, they can pursue their goals and build healthy families. It’s a right we all deserve.”
Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, said the bill was part of a conservative, pro-family mission to preserve Oklahomans’ rights and freedoms.
“There is no question about it — access to contraception greatly reduces unintended pregnancies, boosts workforce participation, and keeps people out of state-funded support programs,” Stanley said. “It also reduces poverty and increases educational attainment. All these outcomes are consistent with making Oklahoma a pro-family state.”
SB 368 protects contraception and does not legalize or provide protections for medication abortion, commonly referred to as the “abortion pill.”
“Many of my constituents are conservative, married women,” said Hasenbeck, who will lead the effort to pass SB 368 in the House. “They also use birth control. This legislation clarifies that Oklahoma women will not lose that right to plan when to have a family.”
