Oklahoma GOP senator pushes bill that classifies abortion as felony homicide

An Oklahoma GOP senator is pushing a bill that classifies abortion as a felony homicide. According to Sen. Joseph Silk (R-Broken Bow), a woman having an abortion is no different than a mother killing her “1-year-old baby.”

When local news outlet KFOR asked Silk what he would say to a woman sentenced to life in prison for having an abortion as a result of his proposed bill, he replied he’d say the same thing that he would to any murderer.

“I don’t know, the exact same thing I would say to a mother who just killed a 1-month-old or a 1-year-old child,” Silk replied. “It’s a horrific act and there shouldn’t be any tolerance for it.”

The bill, titled, “Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act,” would require the state of Oklahoma to ignore federal law regarding abortion.

“The Attorney General shall direct state agencies to enforce those laws regardless of any contrary or conflicting federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, or court decisions,” the proposed bill reads, according to KFOR.

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Justifying the bill’s dismissal of federal law, Silk used slavery as an example.

“The Supreme Court also ruled that slavery, you know, that slaves were private property and they were wrong,” he said. “And so, the courts do need to be challenged.”

The bill is getting some serious pushback from abortion rights advocates. According to deputy director for ACLU Oklahoma Allie Shinn, Silk has tried to pass this sort of draconian abortion legislation before and could “use a refresher in constitutional law if he’s ever had any at all.”

“I’m not sure where Joseph Silk got to decide that he’s the morality police, but nobody elected him to do that,” said Shinn. “He was elected to govern the people of Oklahoma, including the women of Oklahoma.”

Silk says he isn’t worried about women being prosecuted for abortions in the case of rape or incest.

“The numbers of rape and incest are so tiny, under half a percent. So, it’s almost not even an arguable question,” he said.

“It is a human life, regardless of how it came to be.”

Featured image via Facebook

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.