Moscow - The legislature of the US state of Oklahoma has passed a bill envisioning felony charges and loss of medical license for doctors who carry out abortions, local media reported.
According to The Oklahoman newspaper, the bill was passed on Thursday by a vote of 33 to 12.
The legislation will be presented to Governor Mary Fallin who will either sign it, veto it or allow it without signing it.
If the bill becomes law, medical practitioners carrying out abortions may be punished by at least a year's prison term and will have their medical licenses revoked.
“Most people know I am for defending rights. Those rights begin at conception. I believe it's a core function of state government to defend that life from the beginning of conception,” author of the bill Senator Nathan Dahm said.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the United States.
According to the US Constitution, abortion is legal but may be restricted by the states' authorities.
Sputnik