Sen. Silk responds to Baptist Convention letter opposing abortion bill

OKLAHOMA CITY - State Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, issued the following statement in response to the letter recently published by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) stating its opposition to Senate Bill 13, or the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act. If enacted, this legislation would bring an immediate end to abortion in Oklahoma. Silk is the author of SB 13.

“The BGCO’s letter asserts Senate Bill 13 would be invalidated by the courts, but the provisions of the bill specifically reserve the right and duty of the state of Oklahoma to uphold the Constitution and protect life regardless of a negative Supreme Court opinion. This objection not only shows a misunderstanding of the bill by the BGCO, but also a complete lack of understanding of how our republic is supposed to operate. The state does not need the permission of the courts to protect innocent children from murder. It is appalling the BGCO leadership hinges their support of legislation on whether the courts will agree, instead of whether it is moral and just.

“I was appalled by the reasoning given by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma in its letter. The BGCO leadership stated there are more proven and plausible life-saving policies that Oklahoma could enact, but in reality, this is just a blanket statement that looks good on paper but offers no solutions. It is interesting that they list no "better” policies.

“The BGCO’s reasoning that SB 13 unnecessarily repeals "pro-life" legislation that has been passed and signed into law is flawed. The "pro-life" legislation that the BGCO is so proud and protective of is the very legislation that is keeping abortion legal in Oklahoma. If Oklahoma wants to end abortion and protect all human life, we cannot retain the exceptions that these "pro-life" laws offer. We are either an abortion-free state or a state that simply regulates abortion.”