OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB989

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB989 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 989 By: Daniels
5858
5959
6060
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6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to abortion; creating the Wrongful
6666 Death Protection Act of 2025; providing short title;
6767 defining terms; making certain i ndividuals liable for
6868 wrongful death from abortion -inducing drugs;
6969 providing exception; specifying effect of certain
7070 provisions; providing certain affirmative defense;
7171 specifying certain burden of proof; establishing
7272 deadline for filing of civil action; di sallowing
7373 certain defenses; voiding waiver of certain right;
7474 specifying applicability of certain provisions;
7575 prohibiting certain civil action against federal
7676 government; specifying extent of certain
7777 jurisdiction; providing certain exclusions; providing
7878 for extraterritorial effect; specifying venue for
7979 civil action; prohibiting certain transfer of venue;
8080 granting specified entities certain immunities;
8181 specifying applicability of immunities; prohibiting
8282 certain waiver of immunity; limiting jurisdiction of
8383 courts; providing certain construction; providing for
8484 severability; expressing le gislative intent and
8585 declarations; providing for certain interpretation
8686 and enforcement; providing for codification; and
8787 declaring an emergency .
8888
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9393 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
9494 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
9595 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246.1 of Title 12, unless there
9696 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
9797
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148148 This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Wrongful Death
149149 Protection Act of 2025 ”.
150150 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
151151 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246.2 of Title 12, unless there
152152 is created a duplication in numberin g, reads as follows:
153153 As used in the Wrongful Death Protection Act of 2025:
154154 1. “Abortion” means the act of using, prescribing,
155155 administering, procuring, or selling any instrument, medicine, drug,
156156 or any other substance, device, or means with the purpose to
157157 terminate the pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the
158158 termination by any of those means will with reasonable likelihood
159159 cause the death of an unborn child. The term does not include:
160160 a. in vitro fertilization or fertility treatments of any
161161 type,
162162 b. the use, prescription, administration, procuring, or
163163 selling of Plan B, morning -after pills, intrauterine
164164 devices, or any other type of contraception or
165165 emergency contraception, or
166166 c. an act performed with the purpose to:
167167 (1) save the life or preserve the health of the
168168 unborn child,
169169 (2) remove a dead unborn child caused by spontane ous
170170 abortion, or
171171 (3) remove an ectopic pregnancy;
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223223 2. “Abortion-inducing drugs” includes mifepristone,
224224 misoprostol, and any drug, medication, or substance that is used to
225225 terminate the life of an unborn child. The term does not include:
226226 a. Plan B, morning-after pills, intrauterine devices, or
227227 any other type of contraception or emergency
228228 contraception, or
229229 b. drugs or medications that are possessed or distributed
230230 for a purpose that does not include the termination of
231231 a pregnancy, such as misoprostol that is possessed or
232232 distributed for the purpose of treating stomach
233233 ulcers;
234234 3. “Fertilization” means the fusion of a human spermatozoon
235235 with a human ovum;
236236 4. “Interactive computer ser vice” means any information
237237 service, system, or access software provider that provides or
238238 enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server,
239239 including specifically a service or system that provides access to
240240 the Internet and such systems opera ted or services offered by
241241 libraries or educational institutions;
242242 5. “Unborn child” means an individual organism of the species
243243 Homo sapiens in any stage of gestation from fertilization until live
244244 birth; and
245245 6. “Woman” and “women” include any person whos e biological sex
246246 is female, including any person with XX chromosomes and any person
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298298 with a uterus, regardless of any gender identity that the person
299299 attempts to assert or claim.
300300 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
301301 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246.3 of Title 12, unless there
302302 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
303303 A. Notwithstanding any other law, any person who manufactures,
304304 mails, distributes, transports, delivers, or provides abortion -
305305 inducing drugs, or who aids or abets the manufacture, mailing,
306306 distribution, transportation, delivery, or provision of abortion -
307307 inducing drugs, shall be strictly, absolutely, and jointly and
308308 severally liable for the wrongful death of any unborn child or
309309 pregnant woman who dies from the use of abortion -inducing drugs, and
310310 for any personal injuries suffered by any unborn child or pregnant
311311 woman from the use of abortion -inducing drugs; provided, that no
312312 lawsuit may be brought under this section against a provide r or user
313313 of an interactive computer service if such a lawsuit would be
314314 preempted by 47 U.S.C., Section 230(c).
315315 B. A person who engages in the conduct described in this
316316 section is liable if his or her conduct contributes in any way to
317317 the death or persona l injuries suffered by an unborn child or a
318318 pregnant woman, regardless of whet her the person’s conduct is a but-
319319 for or proximate cause of the death or personal injuries suffered by
320320 an unborn child or a pregnant woman.
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372372 C. It is an affirmative defense if a person sued under this
373373 section:
374374 1. Was unaware that the person was engaged in the conduct
375375 described in subsection A of this section; and
376376 2. Took every reasonable precaution to ensure that the person
377377 would not manufacture, mail, distribute, transport, del iver,
378378 provide, or aid or abet the manufacture, mailing, distribution,
379379 transportation, delivery, or provision of abortion -inducing drugs.
380380 The defendant has the burden of proving an affirmative defense
381381 under this subsection by a preponderance of the evidence .
382382 D. Notwithstanding any other law, a person may bring an action
383383 under this section within six (6) years of the date the cause of
384384 action accrues.
385385 E. Notwithstanding any other law, none of the following is a
386386 defense to an action brought under this section :
387387 1. Ignorance or mistake of law;
388388 2. A defendant’s belief that the requireme nts or provisions of
389389 this act are unconstitutional or were unconstitutional;
390390 3. A defendant’s reliance on any court decision that has been
391391 overruled on appeal or by a subsequent court, even if that court
392392 decision had not been overruled when the cause of action accrued;
393393 4. A defendant’s reliance on any state or federal court
394394 decision that is not binding on the court in which the action has
395395 been brought;
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447447 5. A defendant’s reliance on any federal statute, agency rule
448448 or action, or treaty that has been repeal ed, superseded, or declared
449449 invalid or unconstitutional, even if that federal statute, agency
450450 rule or action, or treaty had not been repealed, superseded, or
451451 declared invalid or unconstitutional when the cause of action
452452 accrued;
453453 6. Non-mutual issue preclusion or non -mutual claim preclusion;
454454 7. The consent of the plaintiff or the unborn child ’s mother to
455455 the abortion, or the consent of one or both of the parents of the
456456 unborn child’s mother to the abortion, or the consent of the legal
457457 guardian of the unbor n child’s mother to the abortion;
458458 8. Contributory or comparative negligence;
459459 9. Assumption of risk; or
460460 10. Lack of but-for or proximate causation.
461461 F. Notwithstanding any othe r law, any waiver of the right to
462462 sue under this section shall be void as against public policy, and
463463 shall not be enforceable in any court.
464464 G. Notwithstanding any other law, this section does not impose
465465 liability for:
466466 1. Death or personal injuries result ing from an abortion
467467 performed or induced to preserve the life of a pregnant w oman in
468468 accordance with Section 861 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes ;
469469 2. Speech or conduct protected by the First Amendment to the
470470 United States Constitution, as made applicable to the states through
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522522 the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment by the Supreme Court
523523 of the United States, or by Article II, Section 22 of the Oklahoma
524524 Constitution;
525525 3. Conduct that the State of Oklahoma is forbidden to regulate
526526 under federal law or the United States Constitution;
527527 4. Conduct taken by a pregnant woman who aborts or seeks to
528528 abort her unborn child;
529529 5. The provision of basic public services, including fire and
530530 police protection and utilities, by a governmental entity or a
531531 common carrier to an abortion provider, an abortion fund, an
532532 affiliate of an abortion provider or abortion fund, or a
533533 manufacturer or distributor o f abortion-inducing drugs, in the same
534534 manner as the governmental entity or common carrier provides those
535535 services to the general public; or
536536 6. Conduct taken at the behest of federal agencies,
537537 contractors, or employees that are carrying out duties under federal
538538 law, if a prohibition on that conduct would violate the doctrines of
539539 preemption or intergovernmental immunity.
540540 H. Notwithstanding any other law, a civil action under this
541541 section may not be brought against any person that acted at the
542542 behest of federal agencies, contractors, or employees that are
543543 carrying out duties under federal law, if the imposition of
544544 liability would violate the doctrines of preemption or
545545 intergovernmental immunity .
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597597 I. Notwithstanding any other law, including Section 2004 of
598598 Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes , the courts of this state shall
599599 have personal jurisdiction over any defendant sued un der this
600600 section to the maximum extent permitted by the Fourteenth Amendment
601601 to the United States Constitution and the Oklahoma Constitution.
602602 J. Notwithstanding any other law, this section shall apply to
603603 any abortion performed, induced, or attempted upon a resident of
604604 this state, regardless of where that abortion or attempted abort ion
605605 occurs, and to any civil action brought under this section, to the
606606 maximum extent permitted by the United States Constitution .
607607 Notwithstanding any other law, any contractual choice-of-law
608608 provision that requires or purports to require application of the
609609 laws of a different jurisdiction shall be void as against public
610610 policy, and shall not be enforceable in any court.
611611 K. Notwithstanding any other law, a civil action brought u nder
612612 this section shall not be subject to any provision of the Oklahoma
613613 Citizens Participation Act, Section 1430 et seq. of Title 12 of the
614614 Oklahoma Statutes.
615615 L. Notwithstanding any other law, including Section 2023 of
616616 Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes , a civil action under this section
617617 may not be litigated on behalf of a plaintiff class or a defendant
618618 class, and no court may certify a class under Section 2023 of Title
619619 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes , in any civil action brought under this
620620 section.
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672672 M. Notwithstanding any other law, the prohibitions of this act
673673 shall apply extraterritor ially to the maximum extent permitted by
674674 the United States Constitution and the Oklahoma Constitution.
675675 SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codif ied
676676 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246. 4 of Title 12, unless there
677677 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
678678 A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a civil action
679679 brought under Section 3 of this act may be brought in the count y:
680680 1. In which all or a substantial part of the events or
681681 omissions giving rise to the claim occurred;
682682 2. Of residence for any one of the natural person defendants at
683683 the time the cause of action accrued;
684684 3. Of the principal office in this state of any one of the
685685 defendants that is not a natural person; or
686686 4. Of residence for the claimant if the claimant is a natural
687687 person residing in this state.
688688 B. If a civil action is brought in any one of the venues
689689 described by subsection A of this section, then t he action may not
690690 be transferred to a different venue without the written cons ent of
691691 all parties.
692692 SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
693693 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246. 5 of Title 12, unless there
694694 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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746746 A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the state shall
747747 have sovereign immunity, each of its political subdivisions shall
748748 have governmental immunity, and each officer and employee of this
749749 state or a political subdivision shall have official immunity, and
750750 sovereign or governmenta l immunity, as appropriate, in any action,
751751 claim, counterclaim, or any type of legal or equitable action that
752752 challenges the validity of any provision or application of this act,
753753 on constitutional grounds or otherwise, or that seeks to prevent or
754754 enjoin the state, its political subdivisions, or any officer or
755755 employee of this state or a political subdivision from enforcing any
756756 provision or application of this act, or from hearing, adjudicating,
757757 or docketing a civil action brought under Section 3 of this act ,
758758 unless that immunity has been abrogated or preempted by federal law
759759 in a manner consistent with the United States Constitution. The
760760 sovereign immunity conferred by this sectio n upon the state and each
761761 of its officers and employees includes the constitutional sovereign
762762 immunity recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States in
763763 Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida, 517 U.S. 44 (1996), and Alden
764764 v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706 (1999) , which applies in both state and
765765 federal court and which may not be abrogated by Congress or by any
766766 state or federal court except pursuant to congressional legislation
767767 authorized by Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United
768768 States Constitution, by the Bankruptcy Clause of Article I, or by
769769 Congress’s powers to raise and support armies and to provide and
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821821 maintain a navy, or by any other ground that might be recognized by
822822 the Supreme Court of the United States.
823823 B. Notwithstanding any other provisio n of law to the contrary,
824824 the immunities conferred by subsection A of this sec tion shall apply
825825 in every court, both state and federal, and in every adjudicative
826826 proceeding of any type whatsoever.
827827 C. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no provision of
828828 state law may be construed to waive or abrogate an immunity
829829 described in subsection A of this section unless it expressly waives
830830 or abrogates immunity with specific reference to this section.
831831 D. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no attorney
832832 representing the state, its political subdivisions, or any officer
833833 or employee of this state or a political subdivision is authorized
834834 or permitted to waive an immunity described in subsection A of this
835835 section or take any action that would result in a waiv er of that
836836 immunity, and any such action or purported waiver shall be regarded
837837 as a legal nullity and an ultra vires act.
838838 E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no court of this
839839 state may award declaratory or injunctive relief, or any type of
840840 stay or writ, including a writ of prohibition, that would pronounce
841841 any provision or application of this act invalid or
842842 unconstitutional, or that would restrain the state, its political
843843 subdivisions, any officer, employee, or agent of this state or a
844844 political subdivision, or any person from enforcing any provision or
845845
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896896 application of this act, or from hearing, adjudicating, docketing,
897897 or filing a civil action brought under Section 3 of this act, and no
898898 court of this state shall have jurisdiction to consider any action,
899899 claim, or counterclaim that seeks such relief, and no such action,
900900 claim, or counterclaim may be litigated on behalf of a plaintiff or
901901 defendant class, notwithstanding Section 2023 of Title 12 of the
902902 Oklahoma Statutes, and no court may certify a pl aintiff or defendant
903903 class in any action seeking the relief described in this subsection.
904904 F. Nothing in this section or act shall be construed to prevent
905905 a litigant from asserting the invalidity or unconstitutionality of
906906 any provision or application of th is act as a defense to any action,
907907 claim, or counterclaim brought against that litigant.
908908 SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
909909 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3246. 6 of Title 12, unless there
910910 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
911911 A. Mindful of Leavitt v. Jane L., 518 U.S. 137 (1996), in which
912912 in the context of determining the severability of a state statute
913913 regulating abortion the Supreme Court of the United States held that
914914 an explicit statement of legislative intent is controlling, it is
915915 the intent of the Legislature that every provision, section,
916916 subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word in this act, and every
917917 application of the provisions in this act to every person, group of
918918 persons, or circumstances, are severable from each other.
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970970 B. If any application of any provision in this act to any
971971 person, group of persons, or circumstances is found by a court to be
972972 invalid, preempted, or unconstitutional, for any reason whatsoever,
973973 then the remaining applications of that provision to all other
974974 persons and circumstances s hall be severed and preserved, and shall
975975 remain in effect. All constitutionally valid applications of the
976976 provisions in this act shall be severed from any applications that a
977977 court finds to be invalid, preempted, or unconstitutional, because
978978 it is the Legislature’s intent and priority that every single valid
979979 application of every statutory provision be allowed to stand alone.
980980 C. The Legislature further declares that it would have enacted
981981 this act, and each provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause,
982982 phrase, or word, and all constitutional applications of the
983983 provisions of this act, irrespective of the fact that any provision,
984984 section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word, or
985985 applications of this act were to be declared invalid, preempted, or
986986 unconstitutional.
987987 D. If any provision of this act is found by any court to be
988988 unconstitutionally vague, then the applications of that provision
989989 that do not present constitutiona l vagueness problems shall be
990990 severed and remain in force, consistent with the severability
991991 requirements of subsections A, B, and C of this section.
992992 E. No court may decline to enforce the severability
993993 requirements of subsections A, B, C, and D of this sec tion on the
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10451045 ground that severance would “rewrite” the statute or involve the
10461046 court in legislative or lawmaking activity. A court that declines
10471047 to enforce or enjoins a state official from enforcing a statutory
10481048 provision does not rewrite a statute, as the s tatute continues to
10491049 contain the same words as before the court ’s decision. A judicial
10501050 injunction or declaration of unconstitutionality:
10511051 1. Is nothing more than an edict prohibiting enforcement that
10521052 may subsequently be vacated by a later court if that cou rt has a
10531053 different understanding of the requirements of the Oklahoma
10541054 Constitution or United States Constitution;
10551055 2. Is not a formal amendment of the language in a statute; and
10561056 3. No more rewrites a statute than a decision by the executive
10571057 not to enforce a duly enacted statute in a limited and defined set
10581058 of circumstances.
10591059 F. If any state or federal court disregards the severability
10601060 requirements of subsections A, B, C, D, and E of this section, and
10611061 declares or finds any provision of this act facially inva lid,
10621062 preempted, or unconstitutional, when there are discrete applications
10631063 of that provision that can be enforced against a person, group of
10641064 persons, or circumstances without violating federal law or the
10651065 federal or state constitutions, then that provision s hall be
10661066 interpreted, as a matter of state law, as if the Legislature had
10671067 enacted a provision limited to the persons, group of persons, or
10681068 circumstances for which the provision ’s application will not violate
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11201120 federal law or the federal or state constitutions , and every court
11211121 and every state official shall adopt this saving construction of
11221122 that provision until the court ruling that pronounced the provision
11231123 facially invalid, preempted, or unconstitutional is vacated or
11241124 overruled.
11251125 SECTION 7. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
11261126 of the public peace, health o r safety, an emergency is hereby
11271127 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
11281128 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
11291129
11301130 60-1-1530 DC 1/16/2025 2:07:31 PM