Nearly a year ago, the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act (SB13) was introduced in the Oklahoma legislature. The bill, designed to completely ban abortion in the state, failed to pass.
When the Second Regular Session of the current legislature convened earlier this month, SB13 was put on the docket again. While no vote has been held as of yet, it looks like it will go down in defeat for the fourth time in two years.
Sadly, the main reason murdering unborn babies remains legal in Oklahoma is due to the opposition the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act has received form so-called pro-life groups.
For example, National Right to Life VP Tony Lauinger opposes the bill because he claims it is unconstitutional, even though there is no constitutional right to abortion. Instead, he’s fighting to protect current Oklahoma abortion laws — which he helped create — even though they do nothing to end abortion.
What we are witnessing from opponents to abolition laws in Oklahoma and other states working to bring an end to the abortion holocaust is pro-life incrementalism, where restricting abortion instead of ending it has become the official policy of what many have come to call Pro-life, Inc.
Pro-life, Inc. claims to fight for the unborn, but it doesn’t; there’s simply too much money to be made and too much political influence to be had by keeping abortion around. Instead, they hold marches and “fight” for incrementalist policies that kill more babies than they save.
Some of the “pro-life” organizations consistently opposing the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act are: the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, the Roman Catholic Arch Diocese of Oklahoma City, and Oklahomans for Life (Tony Lauinger, Chairman).
In an open letter written by Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma President Blake Gideon, Treasurer Hance Dilbeck, and Baptist Messenger Editor Brian Hobbs, Oklahoma Baptists were told why they should oppose SB13. Ironically, they said it was because abolition laws wouldn’t save lives but status quo laws that do nothing to end abortion would.
“Credible expert legal/policy analysis indicates S.B. 13 will be invalidated immediately by the courts, if it passes at all, and we cannot save lives with legislation that never goes into effect.
“There are more proven and plausible life-saving policies Oklahoma could enact en route to ending the tragic practice of abortion, while simultaneously offering support and help for abortion-vulnerable mothers.”
There has also been plenty of opposition within the Oklahoma Republican Party, which holds overwhelming majorities in both the State Senate and State House. Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat told Tulsa World recently that while he wants abortion made illegal again, he believes SB13 is “fatally flawed.”
Last year, then-Health and Human Services Chair Jason Smalley refused to give the bill a hearing, even though he claimed to be pro-life, and it was opposed by then-State Republican Party Chair Pam Pollard.
When the Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that Blacks weren’t entitled to constitutional protections because they were property and not people, it was the states and their refusal to obey the Court that brought the end to slavery. The Supreme Court never officially overturned the decision.
Ending the murder of the unborn won’t be happening in the courts; it will require the same conviction and courage it took to end slavery.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative.
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