On May 19, 2016, the Oklahoma state legislature passed a bill that would criminalize abortion, except in cases "necessary to preserve the life of the mother." The bill held abortion providers accountable for only providing abortions to patients in cases of medical emergency, with threat of felony and a prison sentence of up to three years. Of course, with such a law in place, access to abortion would be greatly reduced, as few doctors would be willing to risk their careers providing abortion for patients in cases where medical necessity is debatable or unclear. It seemed that Oklahoma would follow the footsteps of so many conservative states before it, backtracking on reproductive rights.

In what is perhaps a rare twist, Republican Governor Mary Fallin vetoed the bill, saying it "is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered 'necessary to preserve the life of the mother.'" While Fallin identifies as pro-life, her stance against the bill signifies that there are some cases where abortion is necessary, and that legislators might not be the most capable of fairly determining when that is. This idea strayed so far from the party platform in vetoing the bill that it is telling. It demonstrates that the rejection of reproductive healthcare rights is not uniformly shared among party leaders, and that reproductive justice advocates can find allies across party lines.

This is important because, while the Supreme Court protected the right to abortion in the 1970s in Roe v. Wade, future legislation and court cases have backtracked on the precedent, seriously limiting protection of and access to abortion. From types of procedures to waiting periods to unnecessary requirements that close down perfectly good clinics, the Republican party has been backtracking on reproductive rights for decades. These requirements include making hallways wide enough to accommodate two gurneys side-by-side, even though the majority of abortion procedures are not surgical, and forcing providers to give patients biased and inaccurate information before the procedure.

Democrats and pro-choice advocates need conservative allies to stand up against these efforts and say "this goes too far." That is exactly what Governor Fallin did in Oklahoma, drawing the line when she read a bill that would deny so many women abortions. She was willing to step out of line and veto this bill gives hope to pro-choice activists and women who may need an abortion that their rights may be preserved.