When Oklahoma’s six-week abortion ban went into impact, Andrea Gallegos spent the night working her means via the record of sufferers scheduled for abortions the subsequent day, calling to interrupt the information.
Some sufferers picked up the cellphone as they have been making the drive to Oklahoma from Texas, the place a virtually an identical abortion ban was already in place, mentioned Gallegos, govt administrator on the Tulsa Girls’s Clinic.
Some have been devastated however resigned. Others have been in “absolute anguish, anger — sufferers simply crying, begging for us to have the ability to do one thing,” Gallegos mentioned.
The clinic had to cancel a whole lot of appointments since Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Invoice 1503, she mentioned, which banned abortions after roughly the six-week mark of being pregnant, drastically limiting entry to the process in Oklahoma.
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The morning after SB 1503 went into impact, Gallegos answered a cellphone name from a affected person saying she was operating late for her appointment.
The affected person, who guessed she was about seven or eight weeks pregnant, had missed Gallegos’ name the night time earlier than.
Gallegos needed to clarify the legislation had modified, and if cardiac exercise was detected on an ultrasound, the clinic wouldn’t be capable of present her an abortion that day.
“She mentioned, ‘There’s received to be one thing you are able to do for me. I’m pregnant as a result of I used to be raped,’” Gallegos recalled the affected person saying. ‘’There’s received to be a way you possibly can nonetheless assist me. This will’t apply for me.’”
Underneath SB 1503, abortions after roughly the six-week mark of being pregnant are solely allowed within the occasion of a medical emergency, although the legislation does not outline what counts as a medical emergency. There isn’t a exception for instances of rape or incest.
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Extra:What we all know, and what we do not, about Oklahoma’s 6-week abortion ban
Ongoing authorized challenges
A number of clinics and abortion rights organizations filed a petition final week asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court docket to rethink its Might 3 choice not to difficulty a brief restraining order or injunction to block SB 1503 from going into impact.
Within the petition, the teams mentioned the legislation is successfully halting most abortions in Oklahoma — as a result of most abortions occur after six weeks of being pregnant — which is inflicting chaos for sufferers searching for them out.
Sufferers being turned away are distraught and determined, the petition says. Amongst them are minors and survivors of rape and abuse.
The state Supreme Court docket on Wednesday declined to think about the most recent petition from the abortion rights teams, so SB 1503 will stay in impact.
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“It is disappointing that the court docket did not intervene once more, as a result of we’re in dialog proper now with individuals who nonetheless have a constitutional proper to get abortion care, and so they cannot truly get that care,” mentioned Emily Wales, interim president and CEO of Deliberate Parenthood Nice Plains, which operates in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. “The case is not useless. However within the interim, persons are shedding care.”
Oklahoma Legal professional Basic John O’Connor cheered Thursday for the state Supreme Court docket declining to implement an injunction or restraining order to pause SB 1503.
“The folks of Oklahoma have spoken via their elected Representatives, Senators, and their Governor,” O’Connor mentioned in an announcement. “The abortion trade has thwarted the needs of most Oklahomans for many years. Hopefully, these days are numbered.”
The Oklahoma Supreme Court docket has but to rule on whether or not it’ll take up the authorized problem abortion rights’ teams have filed in an try to cease SB 1503.
Deliberate Parenthood paused providing abortions in Oklahoma on account of the brand new legislation, and quickly will start rescheduling sufferers, Wales mentioned.
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“A part of that is as a result of we did wish to regroup as a group … about what the legislation meant, what the dangers are, and likewise the way it does or doesn’t intersect with the Supreme Court docket choice,” she mentioned. “As a result of it does should be a collaborative effort the place our group feels secure and able to present.”
Employees are nonetheless fielding calls from sufferers and redirecting them to different states like Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado for abortion care.
Oklahoma workers at Deliberate Parenthood clinics noticed firsthand how Texans have been affected by the ban Oklahoma’s legislation is modeled on.
“We’ve got seen how terrible this legislation is for Texans. We’ve got been serving, up till lately, Texans who’re victims of violence or who’re in determined conditions to entry care, and their very own state has utterly turned their backs on them,” Wales mentioned.
Now, workers are dealing with the truth that their households, pals and neighbors might be put in the identical conditions, she mentioned.
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Extra:What banning abortion means for Oklahoma docs and pregnant sufferers
Future restrictions looming
Entry to abortion in Oklahoma, already hampered by the six-week ban, might quickly disappear altogether, Wales mentioned. The Supreme Court docket signaled in a leaked draft opinion that it ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark choice that has protected the suitable to abortion for many years.
“We’re anticipating the whole lack of abortion care in Oklahoma,” she mentioned. “That could be a actuality we have been making ready for, and the discharge of the Supreme Court docket opinion has taken out a number of the guessing sport.”
The draft opinion is not ultimate, and Roe hasn’t been overturned for now. However whether it is, Oklahoma has a “set off legislation” on the books that may outlaw just about all abortions within the state.
For Gallegos, with the Tulsa Girls’s Clinic, she’s taking the impression of Oklahoma’s new legislation and the looming Supreme Court docket choice day-to-day.
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Earlier than Oklahoma’s ban went into impact, “daily we received via the day with out SB 1503 passing and we noticed the sufferers on our schedule, it was a great day,” she mentioned.
Now, the clinic focuses on offering the care they’ll inside the limits of the legal guidelines.
“Professionally, I’ve to stay hopeful, as a result of it is onerous to proceed to stand up and do what we do on a regular basis if we did not have some little bit of hope,” Gallegos mentioned. “Personally, it is actually onerous to remain hopeful.”
Extra:‘It is horrible.’ Uncertainty looms as Oklahoma clinic braces for Texas-style abortion ban
The Oklahoma Sooners will open the 2025 softball season on Feb. 6 against the CSUN Matadors in San Diego. After a historic season, Oklahoma faces a lot of turnover after losing a number of fixtures in the lineup to graduation.
The Sooners certainly aren’t lacking for talent, however, as a trio of players were named to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams on Tuesday.
Sophomore outfielder Kasidi Pickering and Utility/DP Ella Parker were named to Softball America’s first team. Newcomer Abby Dayton was named to the second team.
Parker led the Oklahoma Sooners with a .415 batting average from the utility role. She also had 13 home runs and 62 RBIs as a true freshman. Parker hit .500 over Oklahoma’s final four games to clinch their fourth-straight national title.
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Pickering hit .389 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs as a true freshman for the Sooners. In the Women’s College World Series final against Texas, she had home runs in both games against the Texas Longhorns to win the championship.
Abby Dayton is one of a number of impact transfers for the Oklahoma Sooners this season. She led the Pac-12 in batting average, hitting .431 and also had an on-base percentage of .510 for the Utah Utes.
The Oklahoma Sooners will have a new look, but led by this trio of stars, the defending national champions will be ready to compete in the SEC.
More: 5 Oklahoma Sooners included in Softball America’s top 100
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Report Card: Oklahoma lets second-half lead slip, falls to Texas A&M
With 17:00 minutes left in the second half, No. 17 Oklahoma led No. 10 Texas A&M 51-33, and with 19 seconds remaining, Zhuric Phelps hit a three-pointer to give the Aggies an 80-78 lead. That score ultimately held, handing Oklahoma a tough loss and dropping them to 13-2 (0-2) on the season, despite leading by as many as 18 points in the second half, getting 34 points from Brycen Goodine, and facing a Texas A&M team without its best player, Wade Taylor.
The first half was all about Brycen Goodine, who put together one of the most impressive halves from a Sooner in recent memory. He tallied 21 points on 6-8 shooting from deep, propelling Oklahoma to a 39-30 halftime lead. The Sooners shot the ball extremely well early, but things fell apart after the break.
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The second half belonged to Phelps, who hit the game-winning three. Phelps, a career 26.1% three-point shooter, erupted for 28 points in the second half alone, including six three-pointers. He finished with 34 points on 11-25 shooting from the field and 6-10 from behind the arc. Despite Goodine’s stellar performance and Oklahoma’s strong start, the Sooners couldn’t withstand Texas A&M’s furious comeback.
Well, here’s the Report Card from Oklahoma’s loss despite: 1) getting 34 points from Goodine, 2) leading by 18 in the second half, and 3) facing a Texas A&M team without its leading scorer.
Offense: D-plus
Good or bad first? Let’s start with the bad.
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In the final eight minutes of the game, Oklahoma made just two (!) field goals. If you’re looking for a “How to Blow a Lead MasterClass,” scoring only twice in crunch time is Lesson 1.
It was those last eight minutes — where the Sooners simply couldn’t get anything going — that cost them the game. That collapse makes it hard to fully appreciate their solid first half, when things were actually clicking.
Oklahoma shot an impressive 14-24 (58.3%) from deep, 25-46 (54.3%) from the field, and 14-17 (82.4%) from the free throw line. They put up 39 first-half points and were firing on all cylinders offensively. But when it mattered most — those crucial final eight minutes — they completely imploded.
Starting Five: C-minus
Let’s start with Jeremiah Fears, who logged only 21 minutes. Fears finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four turnovers, and three assists while shooting 4-8 from the field, 1-3 from behind the arc, and 4-5 from the free throw line. There were plenty of freshman moments, but it felt like his reduced minutes prevented him from finding a rhythm—something that became evident when Oklahoma turned to him as a potential hero late in the game.
Duke Miles added 8 points on 2-6 shooting from the field and 2-4 from deep, along with three rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers in just 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Kobe Elvis was a non-factor offensively, scoring 0 points in 27 minutes. He shot 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from beyond the arc but did record eight assists, most of which were to Goodine. Despite the assists, Elvis struggled with the physicality of the game and contributed little else.
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Jalon Moore played 33 minutes and contributed 11 points on 4-6 shooting from the field and 2-3 from deep, along with four rebounds, three turnovers, and two blocks. Sam Godwin added 6 points, five rebounds, and three blocks in 26 minutes while shooting 3-5 from the field.
Overall, it was a rough night for the starting five. Fears had his freshman struggles, Elvis couldn’t handle the physicality, and while Miles and Moore were solid, neither had standout performances.
Bench: A-plus
The Sooners got an incredible 34 points out of Goodine on 10-14 shooting from the field and 9-11 from behind the arc. He also shot 5-6 from the free-throw line. Goodine was on fire from the jump, knocking down six of his three-pointers in the first half. He put together one of the best shooting performances ever seen by a Sooner, in fact, tying Mookie Blaylock and Hollis Price for the fourth-most three-pointers in a game in Oklahoma history. After a rough showing from the bench against Alabama, this performance from Goodine was exactly what the team needed.
Additionally, Mohamed Wague had a solid first half, playing 12 quality minutes before only seeing two minutes in the second half. He scored 2 points, added two rebounds, one assist, and a block. His biggest struggle was not being able to playmake off the short roll, but aside from that, his first half was encouraging.
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Oklahoma got 34 points from Goodine, solid minutes from Wague, and good contributions from Glenn Taylor, who scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting from the field. Overall, it was a strong performance from the bench, which makes this loss even more puzzling.
Ball Security: F
Arguably the main reason Oklahoma lost this game was turnovers. A team that has been solid at taking care of the ball all season long imploded, committing 18 turnovers—twice as many as their opponent. Beating a top-10 team while turning the ball over 18 times is incredibly difficult, and it wasn’t just in the second half where turnovers haunted this team. Despite getting 21 points from Goodine, Oklahoma led by just nine at halftime.
That was, in large part, due to turnovers, as they gave the ball away eight times in the first half. The turnovers made it difficult for the Sooners to extend their lead. Pair those eight first-half turnovers with Phelps’ explosive second half performance and Oklahoma’s inability to score more than two field goals in the final eight minutes, and you have the recipe for a tough loss.
Oklahoma’s guards collapsed when Texas A&M ramped up their pressure in the second half, leading to an influx of turnovers and ultimately contributing to the defeat.
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5 winterization tips to prevent frozen pipes in your home
Frozen pipes can burst and lead to costly repairs. Follow these tips to prevent your pipes from freezing this winter.
A local winter shelter has hundreds of beds for people experiencing homelessness, but the number of people seeking overnight shelter quickly swelled as freezing temperatures descended, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Taylor Self, communications director for the Homeless Alliance said the organization’s winter shelter, which opened in 2023, offers overnight shelter from November through March 31. Self said the Homeless Alliance leaders anticipated more people would seek safety and warmth at the shelter, 1601 NW 4, as temperatures plummeted in recent days, and their expectations were borne out.
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More: Oklahoma braces for potential heavy snow as winter storm threatens southern U.S.
“The great thing about it is it’s open nightly, and it’s open seven nights a week, so no matter the temperature, we’ve got space for up to 300 adults, and we also have space for pets and personal belonging storage,” she said.
“We’ve got space for up to 300, and when it was warmer in November and December, we were still seeing about 200 roughly, each night. Once the temperatures really started to drop, we’ve been seeing over 350 folks, especially since Monday, and I expect we’ll see it again, especially with the possible snow in the forecast tomorrow.”
Leaders at several other shelters also said they were meeting the need as people began seeking respite from temperatures dipping below freezing.
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Annie Perkins, development and marketing manager for The Salvation Army Arkansas and Oklahoma Division Central Oklahoma Area Command, said the overnight shelter at The Salvation Army Center of Hope, 1001 N Pennsylvania, offers 120 beds for men, women and families, and it consistently stays full throughout the year.
Perkins said shelter guests check in about 3 p.m. each evening and are typically required to leave about 7 a.m., but they are allowed to remain at the shelter during the day during freezing weather.
More: Oklahoma City’s first permanent winter shelter is now open to house 300 during cold months
“We are incredibly blessed to be able to offer emergency shelter and know that it’s of dire importance during this time of the year, and so we’re grateful for the community support,” she said.
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Alex McGowan Rayburn, community engagement director at Sisu Youth Services, said the organization offers five emergency weather beds at its drop-in center for young people seeking shelter when the weather dips below freezing. She said the drop-in center has been full each night this week.
A single mother with an infant and two other young children was among families welcomed to an emergency shelter set up at a downtown Oklahoma City church this week.
The Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, said the church opened on Sunday as an overflow shelter for families like the mom and her young trio. The church at 127 NW 7 began offering emergency shelter during freezing temperatures two years ago and, in April, the Oklahoma City Council gave its official approval for the house of worship to serve as a temporary cold weather shelter.
More: St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral officially approved as cold-weather shelter in OKC
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Churchwell praised the church volunteers, particularly Stephanie Jensen, a staff member serving as shelter coordinator, who had worked to get the shelter open on Sunday and continue to help in the ensuing days.
“We’ve got our outreach center to equip our families with items that they need, like shoes and things like that, and then, of course, space to sleep, to eat,” she said.
“It’s just been beautiful to see how many people have just given themselves to care for people in these really extreme moments.”
Churchwell said she was happy to report that the single mom was at the church for only a short time before more permanent shelter was found for them at City Rescue Mission. She said there were many partnering agencies working together to meet the needs of such families, offering things like housing and education for the children.
