Oklahoma state Capitol briefs, Oct. 10

Gov. Mary Fallin will lead a delegation of business and civic leaders from northeastern Oklahoma on an economic development trip next week to Europe. The trip, organized by the Tulsa Metro Chamber, will include meetings with executives at companies with employment or operations in Oklahoma. Tulsa Metro Chamber and state Commerce Department officials also will attend. The governor's office said the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, a group of 130 Oklahoma corporations and business organizations, will provide funding to cover the cost of airfare and lodging for the governor and her accompanying staff members.

Abortion drug law gets support

Reps. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, and Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City, filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief Tuesday in the state Supreme Court seeking to overturn a district court judge's May ruling that struck down a law intended to restrict the off-label use of certain abortion-inducing drugs. The law passed last year would have required doctors to follow strict guidelines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and would have prohibited off-label uses of the drugs, such as changing a recommended dosage or prescribing it for different symptoms than the drug was intended. It also would have required doctors to examine women before prescribing the drugs, document certain medical conditions and set follow-up appointments. The law never took effect; a temporary injunction against it was issued last October. The judge said the law was unconstitutional because it would violate the fundamental rights of women to privacy and bodily integrity. Hamilton said the law was “a reasonable legislative measure that is intended to ensure the health and safety of women seeking chemical abortions.” Peterson questioned the judge's determination that the state Constitution confers a right to abortion. “From territorial days to the present, the state of Oklahoma has recognized and protected the rights of unborn children in criminal law, tort law, health care law and property law,” she said.