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By Jaclyn Houghton, CNHI News
Wanda Jo Stapleton fears she will once again see back alley abortions if legislation that passed through a House committee on Tuesday becomes law. 
“I’m 73 years old and I lived back when women died from abortions…that’s just cruelty to women,” said Stapleton, formerly Wanda Jo Peltier, who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1986 to 1996
representing Oklahoma City.  “I firmly believe God gave people free will.  He gave them freedom to make their own decisions, to be accountable to him, not the state Legislature.”
House Judiciary and Public Safety Committee members passed five abortion bills with little opposition. The measures now go to the House floor for a hearing.
One measure, House Bill 1317, authored by Rep. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow, would prohibit abortions in state medical facilities or by employees of the state unless the life of the mother is threatened.
Rep. Ryan Kiesel, D-Seminole, sought an amendment to also allow abortions in order to protect the health of the patient, even if death is not expected. The amendment failed. 
The bill passed with a 16-1 vote, with Kiesel casting the only nay vote.  He also stood alone voting against House Bill 1652, authored by Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, which would define the term “medical emergency,”  the only exception to when a minor can have an abortion without informed-consent by a guardian.  The minor would have to be on the verge of death or of irreversible impairment to her body due to the pregnancy to have an abortion without prior consent. 
Another  bill, House Bill 1632, authored by Rep. Charlie Joyner, R-Midwest City, passed easily through the committee with a 12-2 vote, and one abstention.  The bill would prohibit the coverage of non-lifesaving abortions by insurance companies, but would instead require a person to purchase separate abortion insurance coverage.
A bill by Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, also passed out of the committee with a 16-1 vote. House Bill 2042 would amend the definition of abortion to include the use of an instrument, medicine, drug or other device to intentionally end a pregnancy.  Another measure, House Bill 1004, authored by Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, passed with a 16-2 vote. The bill would require doctors performing an abortion to have clinical privileges at a hospital that is within 30 miles of where an abortion is performed.