Politics

Oklahoma seventeen years ago and today: the fall of the Personhood Amendment

April 17, 1995. Seventeen years ago today. A bomb went off.

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by this act that claimed 168 lives. It was the most destructive terrorist act on American soil up until September 11, 2001. The perpetrator of the Oklahoma bombing was caught and brought to justice. A memorial was built to remember these people – a memorial with 168 empty chairs. A museum was built so that we would never forget what happened. President Bush even came to town to attend the dedication of the museum. I was there with many other people to hear him speak. We remember these innocent people, whose lives were suddenly ended seventeen years ago.

April 17, 2012. Today. Pro-life legislation died.

The current legislature in Oklahoma had before them a bill to protect the life of the unborn. The Personhood Act stated that “1) The life of each human being begins at conception; 2) Unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and well-being; and 3) The natural parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health, and well-being of their unborn child.” It defined unborn children to “include all unborn children or the offspring of human beings from the moment of conception until birth at every stage of biological development.” (A link to the language of the personhood bill is available here.)

After this bill passed the Senate in February by a 34-to-8 vote, Senate Pro Tempore President Brian Bingman stated, “Oklahoma is a conservative pro-life state – we are proud to stand up for what we know is right[.] … This bill is one of many Senate Republicans have advanced which affirms the right to life and I am proud to support it.”

Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich also voiced his support for the bill:

I applaud the Republicans and the Democrats in the Oklahoma Senate who voted last week in favor of bipartisan personhood legislation. As I have stated a number of times in this campaign, I support the personhood principle, and I support states finding ways to defend life by defining personhood under their state constitutions. It is my hope that Congress will one day pass pro-life legislation under the 14th Amendment that defines personhood as beginning at conception.

The bill was then recommended by the House Committee on Public Health.

But something unexpected happened. On Tuesday, Oklahoma Speaker of the House Republican Kris Steele stopped the bill from being brought to a vote.

On April 19, the House Republican caucus met to discuss the bill, and they decided to drop the issue. Speaker of the Oklahoma House Kris Steele stated, “This decision was not made unilaterally, but as a caucus collectively.  I accept the will of our caucus.”

However, Steele questioned the effect of the bill while still claiming support of the pro-life cause: “We’re already perhaps the most pro-life state in this country, having passed at least 30 various pro-life measures in the past eight years alone. You will not find a bigger friend of the unborn than this Legislature, but this bill would not have any substantive policy effect.”

So, this week, the state of Oklahoma paused to remember those who died so tragically seventeen years ago. But who will pause and remember those little children who should have been born, but who tragically lost their lives at an abortion clinic? Who will stand up and declare them to be people in need of refuge? This year, it will not be Oklahoma.

   
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  • Fortutude_1

    The groundswell of anger at this anti-woman attempt to kill Roe-vs.-Wade is what killed this bill, not a handful of legislators having a brain fart. They were inundated with calls, emails, social media and live protests to block this. It lacks support among the people. No more passes for religiously motivated bills that claw back women’s rights. You have seen a sea change. ‘Whack-A-Mole’ bills like this that keep popping up in state legislatures will get attention like they never have before. Get used to it.

    • MoonChild02

      Abortion is anti-woman, not personhood! Half of all aborted pregnancies are girls. Women don’t choose abortion for themselves, it’s forced on them by their significant others, families, friends, teachers, bosses, and their personal situations. Women are hurt by abortion. There are many women who are injured physically and mentally by it. What needs to happen is for women to be supported by the community in their situations, not have their children ripped from them, have their insides cut up, and scarred for life. My aunt died because she was emotionally traumatized from an abortion she was forced into. She’s not the only one.
      http://www.theunchoice.org/
      http://www.abortionrisks.org/
      http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/

      “When a man steals to satisfy hunger, we may safely conclude that there is something wrong in society – so when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is an evidence that either by education or circumstances she has been greatly wronged.” – Mattie Brinkerhoff, lecturer and journalist for feminist newspaper The Revolution

      “Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth.” – Victoria Woodhull, first woman to run for president

      “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women.” – Alice Paul, author of the 1923 Equal Rights Amendment

      “Women deserve better than abortion.” – Serrin Foster, president of Feminists For Life
      http://www.feministsforlife.org/

      Furthermore, pro-life is not entirely religiously motivated. Many of us support the pro-life cause out of scientific reasons, not religious. While the majority of those who are pro-life are religious, including me, that does not make our cause a religious one. There are many atheists and agnostics who are pro-life as well.
      http://www.secularprolife.org/
      http://godlessprolifers.org/home.html
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218614613/
      http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/confessions-of-a-pro-life-atheist-what-gives-me-the-passion-to-actively-opp

      • prolifepagans

        Personhood amendments don’t pass because people think they will ban birth control.  Their supporters have tried to argue that they won’t, but this has a hollow ring when they’ve been arguing that contraceptives are abortive.  See this link for further discussion, 
        http://rightremedy.org/articles/226

      • Walldodger

        Do  you tell your mate  when he” beats off “… (oh would “masturbate” sound  better?)..that he is “killing “… a potential half a child?… and  there are far fewer zealots out there  that are not religious Nuts…. I say  that  ,cause you really  don’t read  your bible. One Even god  said life doesn’t begin til the first breath… yeah baby look it up..two… do you believe in the death penalty, or even fight  the death penalty , like you do  this ? Do you fight  for child health care?  do you fight  that kids live in a safe neighborhood, have a good education.. Have you adapted anyone, or two or three…… Betcha  there is a list  thousands of kids long in your great state , waiting  to be adopted….so PLeaSE..give us all a break….. oh BTW evolution is true…. we didn’t come  from dirt, and  then a rib…  the earth  is billions of  years old.

        • http://twitter.com/CalFreiburger Calvin Freiburger

          This comment is so illiterate and rambling I almost wonder if it’s actually a parody.

  • http://twitter.com/dreadhelm Josh Craddock

    UPDATE: After numerous reports that the Oklahoma Personhood Act, SB 1433, was “dead”, Personhood USA and local affiliate Personhood Oklahoma have learned that the Personhood Act is still alive and could still be brought down for a vote before Thursday, April 26, 2012.
    http://www.personhoodusa.com/oklahoma-personhood-act-still-alive-speaker-steele-called-upon-answer-tough-questions

  • Fortutude_1

    Thank you for the info Josh. ‘Whack-A-Mole’ usually does come back. But there are a lot of hammers now.

  • Fortutude_1

    Women do deserve better options than abortion. It is the last line of defense. Where are all the pro-life people supporting contraception programs, sex ed in schools, emergency contraception access etc. etc? They aren’t there because they want to control woman’s sexuality within tight confines dictated by their religious and socially conservative outlook. Where do you think nearly a million babies are going to go each year? There are not nearly enough adoptive and foster parents to look after the children here now. They just aren’t the preferred skin color or age. Roe Vs. Wade was not the beginning of women having abortions. Look it up. Look up how many women died in their desperation to not be forced to carry a fetus to term and become responsible for that child for the next 18 years. Having unsafe coathanger lysol abortions. Your fetus worship is unseemly and a danger to women. 

    • Paula Bryder

      These people are just fine with things like the death of Gerri Santoro. They want to force birth. Period. Disgusting creatures, that pro-fetus crew. Damn the Tupperware! Full coerced birth ahead. Loathsome.
       

  • Boys2angels3

    Women deserve better than reproductive slavery which all these antichoice bills are. Making abortion illegal does not stop abortion – in fact the LOWEST rates are amongst countries with legal abortion. But when it is illegal women die.
    http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2004/09/way-it-was

    The highest teen pregnancy rates in the US are in states with abstinence only education.  The same groups that are antichoice promote this.  

    Women have a right to privacy end freedom of religion. It is a minority that think personhood begins at conception (73% of Americans support abortion being legal). 

    Antichoice legislation is religious persecution and dangerous to women.

    Leave medical decisions to physicians. Legislators are practicing medicine without a license.