Abortion bill stalls as activists rally at Oklahoma Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — While hundreds of anti-abortion activists descended on the Oklahoma Capitol for a rally on Wednesday, a GOP-led House committee failed to pass an anti-abortion bill in a move that could signal a shift in priorities for Republican lawmakers in a deep-red state.

Three freshman Republicans on the House Public Health Committee joined with a Democrat voting against a bill to prohibit abortions based on the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality or Down syndrome.

Oklahoma is facing a budget hole of nearly $870 million, or about 12 percent of state spending, marking the third consecutive year of a budget gap as a result of the slumping energy industry and tax cuts approved in recent years.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, about 4,330 abortions were performed in Oklahoma last year, the fewest number since 2002.