Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, filed legislation this week to allow Oklahoma voters to decide whether to provide equal protections to the unborn in Oklahoma’s Constitution.
“I don’t understand how some in society don’t believe the rights given us under the U.S. Constitution and Oklahoma Constitution don’t extend to the unborn. They are living, breathing beings just like each of us – they just can’t speak for themselves, so we must speak for them,” Bullard said. Scientifically speaking, unborn fetuses are not yet breathing.
Senate Joint Resolution 17 would create a state question regarding whether the rights of unborn persons are equal to the rights of born persons. It would establish that “creation”, according to Bullard, not “life”, begins at conception and that unborn persons and their parents have certain protectable interests.
Under the resolution, nothing in the Oklahoma Constitution would secure or protect the right to perform or receive an abortion, and nor would the state constitution preclude, invalidate or limit any state law prohibiting or regulating abortion.
If approved, abortion would be prohibited in Oklahoma, except one necessary to prevent the death or substantial or irreversible physical impairment substantially increasing the risk of death of the mother. It would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by one to three years in prison. Procedures performed outside of Oklahoma would not be covered by the resolution.
