Lower than one-third of Oklahoma voters need a ban on all abortions and solely Republicans are deeply divided on the query, in line with a ballot taken earlier than the state Legislature authorised payments this yr geared toward shutting down most abortions.
The ballot, taken by Amber Built-in in December of 500 registered Oklahoma voters, exhibits 31% would assist a complete ban on abortion if the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturns Roe v. Wade; 55% of the Oklahoma voters surveyed didn’t need a complete ban and one other 14% had been not sure.
Solely 14% of Democratic voters and 12% of independents mentioned they’d favor a complete ban on abortion if the 1973 ruling is tossed. On the Republican facet, 48% of these voters surveyed mentioned they’d assist a complete ban, whereas 40% wouldn’t.
Solely 29% of ladies and 33% of males surveyed favored a complete ban on abortion.
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“This exhibits that the majority voters can’t merely be positioned right into a ‘pro-life’ or ‘pro-choice’ dichotomy,” mentioned pollster Jackson Lisle, a accomplice in Amber Built-in, of Oklahoma Metropolis.
“Voters have a variety of beliefs that lie between a 100% ban on abortion and permitting abortion up till the purpose of start.”
Extra:Oklahomans, Texans now comprise majority of sufferers at Kansas abortion clinic, doc says
Almost one-in-five Oklahoma respondents say they do not contemplate abortion insurance policies when voting
New polling by Cole, Hargrave, Snodgrass and Associates, of Oklahoma Metropolis, exhibits how Oklahoma voters view candidates on the difficulty of abortion because the Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt have capped a session of anti-abortion legal guidelines with the strictest one within the nation.
In accordance with the ballot of 500 registered voters Could 16-18:
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• 41% of Oklahoma voters mentioned they at all times or often vote for the “pro-life” candidate in a race, down from 47% in an October survey by the agency.
• 35% mentioned they at all times or often vote for the “pro-choice” candidate, down from 40% in October.
• 19% mentioned they don’t contemplate the difficulty when voting, up from 7% in October.
The Could and October polls had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3%.
The state Legislature authorised a invoice on Wednesday that may successfully finish abortion in Oklahoma even earlier than the Supreme Courtroom points a much-anticipated choice on abortion rights.
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The invoice permits folks to file civil actions towards anybody, together with a health care provider, who helps a lady receive an abortion at any time after conception. The brand new regulation would supersede one which went into impact in Oklahoma earlier this month permitting for such civil actions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically at six weeks.
Extra:Oklahoma lawmakers cross nation’s most restrictive abortion regulation
The legal guidelines permitting for citizen lawsuits — sometimes called Texas-style legal guidelines as a result of that was the primary state to enact one — have shut down most abortions in Texas and Oklahoma although Roe v. Wade is the regulation of the land.
The legal guidelines don’t depend on the federal government for imposing the restrictions, stopping judges from issuing injunctions towards state or native officers to maintain the legal guidelines from going into impact.
The U.S. Supreme Courtroom scrutinized the Texas regulation final yr however supplied no clear path for abortion rights teams to dam the personal lawsuits, regardless of robust considerations from some justices in regards to the state utilizing the mechanism to disclaim a constitutional proper.
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The Oklahoma Supreme Courtroom declined to challenge an injunction this month to dam the regulation permitting for civil lawsuits after a fetal heartbeat; abortion rights advocates named county clerks as defendants, an strategy that didn’t work with the Texas regulation.
A leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Courtroom opinion exhibits justices could also be on the verge of placing down Roe v. Wade and permitting particular person states to criminalize abortion. If that occurs, Oklahoma is poised to ban most abortions with a regulation that can enable for prison penalties and has no exceptions for rape and incest. The legal guidelines permitting civil actions by personal residents may additionally keep in impact.
Earlier than the invoice went into impact permitting civil lawsuits for abortions carried out at about six weeks, abortions had been allowed in Oklahoma as much as 21.6 weeks after the final menstrual interval.
Responding to abortion restrictions criticism, Gov. Kevin Stitt says he represents all Oklahomans
Stitt has not signed the invoice handed final week to permit lawsuits at any level after conception, however he mentioned in a latest interview on Fox Information, “I characterize 4 million Oklahomans. I do not know the way a lot clearer we might be. We imagine life begins at conception and we will shield life in Oklahoma.”
Stitt famous that the anti-abortion payments he has signed this yr had handed overwhelmingly within the GOP-dominated Legislature, and he dismissed as inaccurate latest media reviews of combined sentiments in Oklahoma about abortion.
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Republicans account for practically 51% of registered voters in Oklahoma, with Democrats making up 31%, independents comprising 17% and Libertarians nearly 1%.
In regard to Democratic voters, there isn’t a lot division; 78% surveyed in December mentioned they opposed a complete ban on abortion. Amongst independents, 55% opposed a complete ban, whereas solely 12% favored one and the remaining had been not sure.
Extra:Catholic Bishops: Stitt ought to select Oklahoma judges to restrict challenges to anti-abortion legal guidelines
The one shut division is inside the governor’s get together: 48% of registered Oklahoma Republicans surveyed would favor a complete ban, whereas 40% wouldn’t.
Lisle famous that the ballot query supplied no room for nuance in place on the difficulty.
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“Of the 40% of registered Republican voters who mentioned they don’t need all abortions banned, it might be the case that many are against abortions in later levels of being pregnant,” he mentioned.
“As an example, some Republican voters would possibly wish to enable abortions in circumstances of rape and incest, in addition to conditions the place the lifetime of the mom is in jeopardy.”
The invoice authorised final week would enable exceptions for the lifetime of the mom and for rape and incest if these crimes had been reported to the police.
The Cowboys went to the SEC to pick another linebacker out of the portal.
Ole Miss transfer Trip White, who was listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds last season, pledged to Oklahoma State, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. White played in all 13 of the Rebels’ games this past season, his redshirt sophomore year. He made one tackle, primarily playing special teams.
White played in three games while maintaining a redshirt as a true freshman in 2022. He appeared in five games in 2023, and to this point has totaled nine career tackles.
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Out of Parkview Magnet in Little Rock, Arkansas, White was a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and chose Ole Miss over offers from Arkansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Indiana and others. The 247Sports Composite system tabbed White as the No. 1,103 player in the class, the No. 109 linebacker in the class and the No. 12 player from Arkansas in 2022. He also started as his team’s quarterback as a high school senior, throwing for 2,035 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 445 rushing yards and seven more scores.
White becomes the third linebacker the Pokes have grabbed out of the portal, joining Bryan McCoy (Akron) and Brandon Rawls (Saginaw Valley State). White’s addition comes a few days after Jeff Roberson hopped in the portal. With Roberson, Nick Martin, Collin Oliver and Kendal Daniels all gone from last season’s squad, OSU’s linebacker room — like most position rooms — will look quite a bit different heading into 2025. Kap Dede is set to coach that group, with new OSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham bringing him in from Western Kentucky.
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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