Oklahoma’s anti-woman bill

ON FEBRUARY 15, Oklahoma senators voted 34-8 in favor of a so-called Personhood Act, which would define a person to include "unborn children...from the moment of conception."

The bill now goes to the state House of Representatives where it is expected to pass. And although Republican Gov. Mary Fallin hasn't announced whether she will sign the legislation, she describes herself as "pro-life."

If this bill becomes a law, the vaguely worded legislation could affect women's access to abortions, birth control, in vitro fertilization and stem cell research.

Senate Bill 1433, authored by Republican state Sen. Brian Crain, states, "The laws of this state shall be interpreted and construed to acknowledge on behalf of the unborn child at every stage of development all the rights, privileges and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state."

After the bill passed, the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice (OCRJ) issued a statement:

This bill, defining a fertilized human egg or embryo as a "person" and thus prohibiting abortion, will make any pregnant woman who miscarries a murder suspect. It will force a pregnant victim of rape or incest to give birth to the predator's child.

Couples who wish to start a family using in vitro fertilization will be out of luck in Oklahoma, since no doctor will risk charges of murder to practice this advanced medicine. Couples who wish to postpone a family will find it more difficult since this bill will make many contraceptives illegal.

The OCRJ and other pro-choice groups weren't the only ones to show their outrage over the bill. Some Oklahoma senators also voiced opposition. Democratic state Sen. Jim Wilson proposed an amendment to the bill that would require the father of an unborn child to be "financially responsible for its mother's health care, housing, transportation and nourishment while she is pregnant."

State Sen. Constance Johnson highlighted the sexist nature of the legislation by proposing to add a requirement that in the case of rape resulting in pregnancy, the rapist would be fined $25,000, receive a vasectomy and be financially responsible for the offspring until they turned 21.

She also proposed a satirical provision, referred to as the "Every Sperm Is Sacred" amendment, that said, "Any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman's vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child." All these amendments were struck down in committee.

Crain, the author of the bill, claims that it does nothing to change existing laws concerning abortion and the procurement of contraceptives or to criminalize women who suffer miscarriages--only that it is a declaration of so-called pro-life, pro-family beliefs.

"With this vote, the Senate made a loud and clear statement--we believe life begins at conception," said Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman. "We believe in protecting the unborn. Oklahoma is a conservative pro-life state--we are proud to stand up for what we know is right."

But while it's true Oklahoma Republican view bills like these as a good way to get the conservative vote at election time, this bill contains more than just political posturing. It lays the groundwork for more laws against women's rights in a state that has the highest per capita population of women prisoners in the country.

Rather than a declaration of Oklahoma's "pro-life" stance, this bill declares to the rest of the country--as well as the world--that Oklahoma is staunchly against women and women's rights. It is an embarrassment to Oklahomans and anyone who believes in and fights for equality.