Deevers Introduces Slate of Legislation to Restore Moral Sanity in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY — Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, announced on Tuesday a bold slate of eight legislative measures aimed at restoring moral sanity in Oklahoma. Together, these bills set a course for pushing back against the moral decay foisted upon Oklahoma by the far-left’s march through our institutions to destroy the moral foundations upon which the United States and Christian Civilization had long rested.

“Sadly, the left’s century-long assault on morality and decency has been so successful that some have come to accept as normal a society that is drowning in hardcore pornography, prenatal homicide, and sexual performances for children. None of this is normal. Each one of these evils is a result of a policy choice to not stand for what we know is right. Opposing these evils does not mean we are extremists. It means we are sane,” Deevers said.

“Contrary to what the left would have us believe, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can and should imagine and move toward a society that celebrates virtue in the public square rather than vice. We can restore normalcy, decency, and morality; we can protect the most vulnerable, restore a high view of marriage, and shield children from explicit material that can warp their innocent minds. We simply must have the courage to stand against the most radical and degenerate elements of the far-left.”

SB456 – The Abolition of Abortion Act

SB456 seeks to protect the lives of all preborn children in Oklahoma by closing the self-managed abortion loophole. While clinics may be prohibited from performing abortions, pro-life laws currently being enforced allow mothers to order abortion pills online and administer them herself. Recent research from the Foundation to Abolish Abortion shows that an estimated 3,274 self-managed abortions are taking place annually in Oklahoma.

“This bill declares that life begins at conception and ensures that no person may lawfully terminate the life of a child in the womb. Preborn children are just as human as we are and our laws should reflect that,” Deevers said. “We cannot pat ourselves on the back when the job is clearly not done. Children are still being murdered under the color of our laws. It is time to step up and truly protect life in Oklahoma by abolishing abortion.”

SB593 – Increasing Penalties for Child Pornography and Prohibiting Pornography in Oklahoma

SB593 significantly heightens existing zero-to-20-year penalties for the possession, distribution, and production of child sexual assault material to 10-to-30 years. It also includes a provision that any subsequent offense for child sexual assault material results in 15-50 years in prison. “There is perhaps no more psychopathic and antisocial behavior in existence than producing, distributing, or watching child sexual abuse material,” Deevers said. “These people should not be back on our streets after brief stints behind bars. Rather, they should be locked away for decades at a minimum.”

The bill also prohibits pornography in general, providing for criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison for production, distribution, or possession. It also provides heightened 10-to-30-year criminal penalties for organized pornography trafficking. “Pornography is both degenerate material and a highly addictive drug,” Deevers said. “It ruins marriages, ruins lives, destroys innocence, warps young people’s perception of the opposite sex, turns women into objects, turns men into objects, degrades human dignity, and corrodes the moral fabric of society. Any decent society will stand against this plague with the full weight of the law.”

SB550 – Prohibiting Drag Performances for Children

SB550 would ensure that Oklahoma kids are not subjected to adult cabaret performances including Drag Queen Story Hour. Under the provisions of the bill, the performer would be subject to a prison sentence of one-to-five years, while the organizer of the event would face up to one year behind bars.

“There is perhaps no more glaring and disgusting example of the left’s rejection of morality and decency than their insistence on pushing sexual content onto children in particular. It is ridiculous that this has to be said, but children should not be exposed to adult cabaret performances,” Deevers said. “There should be unceasing righteous indignation that these people are allowed to market and perform their sexual content specifically to and for young kids.”

SB228 – The Covenant Marriage Act

The Covenant Marriage Act would allow for couples in Oklahoma to opt into a covenant marriage, based on the traditional understanding of marriage as a binding legal contract with meaningful vows to one another. Covenant marriages would only be able to be dissolved in cases of abuse, adultery, or abandonment. Couples who opt into a covenant marriage would be eligible for a $2,500 tax credit.

“This bill is about promoting the religious liberty of people who wish to enter marriage on religious terms, as well as rewarding those who do what is best for their children by committing to one another for life,” Deevers said. “Marriage has been so degraded that it has become one of the flimsiest legal contracts in our society. We need to restore a high view of marriage, and this bill does that by allowing couples to opt out of the no-fault divorce scheme.”

SB829 – Prohibiting No-Fault Divorce

This bill would end no-fault divorce in Oklahoma by removing “incompatibility” as a justification for divorce, leaving abandonment, gross neglect, extreme cruelty, habitual drunkenness, insanity for a period of five years, adultery, unknown pregnancy, and fraudulent contract as the available justifications. It also establishes that the at-fault parent must pay restitution to the victims of divorce–that is, the children–in the form of a trust fund that they get access to when they turn 18.

“Marriage vows were binding until 50 years into the sexual revolution when the no-fault divorce scheme was first brought to America. The results for children and society as a whole could not be worse,” Deevers said. “A society that teaches and allows a marriage covenant to be less important and binding than a business contract will reap the fruit of social upheaval, unfettered dishonesty, crime, violence towards women, war on men, and expendability of children. To devalue marriage is to devalue the family is to undermine the foundation of a thriving society. This bill both promotes a high view of marriage by making it a meaningful and binding contract, while also protecting people’s right to get away from an abusive spouse.”

SB281 – The Make Adoption Affordable Again Act

SB281 provides tax credits to families seeking to adopt and to those who donate to adoption-facilitating organizations, reducing financial barriers and encouraging the care of orphaned and vulnerable children. The bill would provide a tax credit of up to $10,000 for individuals and $50,000 for businesses.

“Every child deserves a family,” said Deevers. “There are many families who are interested in adoption but unable to afford the exorbitant costs. This bill makes adoption a viable option for more families.”

SB328 – The Promote Child Thriving Act

SB328 establishes a $500 tax credit per child for a mother and father filing jointly. The credit is escalated to $1,000 if the child was born after the marriage of the parents.

“Statistically, growing up in a two-parent household is strongly correlated with virtually every good thing in a child’s life, including educational achievement, emotional health, and staying out of jail,” Deevers said. “There is no greater factor in the well-being and future success of a child than whether they grew up in a two-parent household with their mother and father. It’s not even close. Accordingly, it would be irresponsible of us not to promote two-parent households.

“I know that not everyone benefits from this act, but everyone should support what is good for kids, and growing up with one’s mother and father is, in the vast majority of cases, the most important factor in a child’s well-being. As a woman on social media put it, ‘Love to see it. I had two children out of wedlock, one after. I wouldn’t be mad to not qualify, I just want to see children thrive.’”

SB736 – Equal Tax Status for Health Share Ministries

SB736 grants health share ministries, such as Samaritan Ministries and Liberty Healthshare, the same tax benefits as traditional insurance, ensuring that those who opt for these plans are not discriminated against in the tax code. “Health care should honor our convictions,” said Deevers. “This bill ensures that families who choose Christ-centered health solutions are not penalized.”

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Dusty Deevers at 405-521-5567 or email Dusty.Deevers@oksenate.gov.