Meet the woman heading an effort to improve access to reproductive care in Oklahoma

Yahoo

03-04-2025

Oklahoma has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, one that dates back to 1910. That's a matter of fact.
Oklahoma's Legislature and its governor, Kevin Stitt, are conservative Republicans and are considered by many to have zero interest in making that law less restrictive. That's a pretty solid assumption.
What is less certain is whether the current state law actually reflects the wishes of the state's population as a whole, and not just those of a small number of elected officials. About 1.3 million people vote in Oklahoma, roughly 690,000 women and 640,000 men.
What would Oklahomans say if given a chance to vote in a direct citizens' initiative?
More: Bad bill alert — Senate proposal would undermine direct voice for the people | Opinion
Senate Majority Floor Leader Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is the author of what arguably would have been an even more restrictive law than the 1910 statute on the books if it hadn't been ruled unconstitutional by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
"We face the specter of a state question that would have Oklahomans amend their state constitution to allow for abortion up to the time of birth. That's not what I think Oklahomans believe," Daniels said in a recent interview.
However, House Minority Leader Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said numerous polls show that Oklahomans don't like the extreme restrictions placed on abortion.
"A majority of Oklahomans don't like the extreme bans we have in our state," she said. "And there are voters who are holding Republicans accountable.
What Oklahomans really do believe is something that Janet Levit and her organization, repro46, will be exploring in the coming months. They plan a series of meetings throughout the state to talk to potential voters and determine whether a direct vote of the people would alter the status quo.
Levit is the group's designated "executive consultant," and brings to the group an extensive background both in the legal world and as an educator. Now a law professor at the University of Tulsa, she served as dean of the school's College of Law and was for a time its provost and interim president.
"Every Oklahoman should have the freedom to make personal decisions that are best for our lives, our families and our futures — free from political interference that threatens our health," Levit said in announcing formation of the new group.
"Repro46 is here to unite everyday Oklahomans — across political divides — to foster understanding, share experiences and knowledge, and build an Oklahoma that supports reproductive freedom."
Q: Could you share a little of your background?
A: I grew up north of Chicago, went to high school in Highland Park and then to Princeton, where I studied international affairs. But one ritual at college was watching the TV series "LA Law," and that's how I found my way to Yale Law School, where I met my husband, Ken. (Editors' note: Ken Levit was president of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa from 2001-2006 and in 2024 was appointed by Stitt to the State Regents for Higher Education)
Q: What were your first impressions of Oklahoma?
A: I joined the University of Oklahoma faculty in 1995. Oklahoma felt like home. What I love about Oklahoma is that there is a sense of community that I didn't feel as much in Chicago. In Oklahoma you can get involved and make a difference.
Q: What drew you to this organization?
A: I am the vice chair of the board of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is a national organization that has litigated some of the nation's most significant reproductive rights cases, Casey and Dobbs included. Repro46 is a sister organization to We are Rising, which was founded about a year ago. They asked me to help get the new organization set up. Repro46 is a 501-C3 organization, and donations are tax deductible. We have been working since last May developing a strategic plan and engaging with some of our national partners who are helping us. Our target is very much the persuadable middle in Oklahoma — Democrats and Republicans. What would be the best way to reach them? So our official launch was in January. We had one launch in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa.
We had several speakers, including one woman who was a survivor. She had an obstetric emergency where she was not able to access abortion care in Oklahoma. We also had an OB-GYN physician speak about really how difficult it is to be practicing medicine in a state where treatment that is medically indicated is legally questionable.
Q: As part of your planning have you done any polling to determine what the opinions were among women in Oklahoma and what limits they were thinking of placing on abortion?
A: We don't do polling ourselves. But polls have been done, and they show consistently that the majority of Oklahomans support broader access to abortion care than the laws permit. An even bigger majority believe that the politicians have overstepped and are trespassing on the freedom and autonomy of Oklahomans. And regardless of what Oklahomans believe about abortion, they have a pretty strong belief that the government should be kept out of our business.
Q: Is one of your goals to take the politics out of the issue?
A: Reproductive care is a health issue and should never be political. It is an issue of freedom and autonomy. It's just not the place for politicians to make decisions that belong to women, their families, their doctors and their faith. Politicians have gone way too far, and they're threatening the health of all Oklahomans, not members of one party. They're scaring physicians and residents away from the state. Physicians involved in obstetrics and emergency room care are afraid to practice here because they might cross the wrong side of the line in our abortion laws. Many rural counties are now obstetric deserts. But in addition to being a health issue, it's also an economic development issue because of the brain drain from states with abortion bans like Oklahoma.
This article has been edited for length and clarity.
William C. Wertz is deputy Viewpoints editor. You can reach him with comments and story ideas at [e-mail]. Send him a note if you have any suggestions about others in the community our readers should "get to know."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma abortion law doesn't reflect majority opinion, advocate says