Mary Fallin, Oklahoma Governor, signed a law prohibiting mothers from undergoing abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy. The law that was signed on Wednesday makes Oklahoma the fourth state banning late term abortions.

Alongside this law, Governor Fallin also signed a law stopping health insurance companies from insuring elective abortions. The Republican governor said that the laws are extremely important to safeguard both the life of the unborn child and the mother.

She said that she believes in the sacredness of human life. She further said that the law has a responsibility to protect the lives of its people. She believes that the two legislations can work hand-in-hand to expand the protection the law offers their citizens. Moreover, it will stop the tax-paying people of Oklahoma from unknowingly paying for a procedure that could be against their will.

However, Barabra Santee of NARAL Pro-Choice America said that the legislations are clear frontal assault to the 1973 Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion. She also said that the laws are slowly taking away women’s right to choose.

Violation of this law is a felony case for those who provided the abortion but will not penalize the mother who sought out the abortion. Laws in Oklahoma permit abortion if the pregnancy poses a direct threat to the life of the mother.

The law that stops mothers from committing abortion after 20 weeks in to the pregnancy is based on assumption that the fetus at this point can already feel pain. Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska are the three other states that have passed the same legislation months earlier.

The cost of preventing preterm labor is expected to increase in huge numbers anytime soon. The drug injected to women with high-risk pregnancies costs between $10 and $20 per dose. In just a few days, the price per dose will go up to as much as $1,500.

This drug is a kind of progesterone given weekly to prevent preterm labor and all its corresponding complications for both the mother and the child. For years, this drug was sold cheaply because they are mixed in pharmacies that are not approved by the Bureau of Food and Drugs. Just recently, however, KV Pharmaceutical was approved by the government to exclusively manufacture and sell the drug.

Most obstetricians backed the decision as this can ensure quality control and easy-accessibility. None of the doctors, however, foresaw the dramatic increase in size considering that research and development were not shouldered solely by KV Pharmaceutical.

Most doctors fear that the drug’s price increase will rob many women of the opportunity to prevent premature births; especially those who are not covered by medical insurances and low-income mothers. Moreover, Massachusetts’ Medicaid deputy medical director Dr. Roger Snow said that this increase can cause a massive financial blow on health insurance companies and may push them to increase health insurance package costs.

KV Pharmaceutical stands firm in their decision as they believe that the cost of the drug is nothing compared to the cost of care for children born prematurely. On Tuesday, Ther-Rx Corporation (a KV subsidiary) announced that they will launch a patient assistance program that will offer the drug at a smaller cost for low-income women.