GOP Pro-Life Bill Signed into Law

A Republican-authored pro-life bill was signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry Tuesday, legislation that includes several pro-life issues that have been blocked for years by the Senate’s Democrat leadership.

“This is a great victory for the unborn,” said Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, the bill’s Senate author. “This new law is an answer to many years of prayer – and it shows the importance of electing pro-life legislators in the Senate and the House.”

Senate Bill 1742 passed the Senate last week on a 38-8 vote over the objections of the Senate’s Democrat leadership. All 23 Republicans voted for the bill, along with 15 Democrat senators. Last week the liberal Democrat leadership had threatened to block the bill by not allowing a vote to occur, but reversed course in the face of a strong bipartisan majority.

SB 1742’s provisions include legislative language from a number of pro-life bills killed earlier this year by Senate Democrats:

- Requiring the consent of one parent before a minor can receive an abortion (from House Bill 2369, by Rep. Odilia Dank and Sen. Glenn Coffee)..

- Expanding the recognition of an unborn child as a separate victim if a crime is committed against the mother (from HB 2741 by Rep. Pam Peterson and Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson).

- Ensuring that a woman is informed that her unborn baby, if 20 weeks or older, may feel pain during an abortion and that anesthesia can be administered to the baby to relieve that pain (from House Bill 2496, authored by Rep. John Trebilcock and Sen. David Myers).

- Ensuring that a woman seeking an abortion has the option to view her unborn baby by ultrasound prior to the abortion (from House Bill 2614, by Rep. Kevin Calvey and Sen. Randy Brogdon).

- Allowing funding to be directed to organizations that help pregnant women with pro-life counseling and support-services (from House Bill 3001, by Rep. Marian Cooksey and Sen. Cliff Aldridge).