Republican Chair Won’t Allow Vote On OK Bill To Outlaw Abortion, Says It’s "Extremely Unconstitutional"

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A bill that would have outlawed abortion in the state of Oklahoma as an act of murder will not be brought up for a vote as per the decision of Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud.

As previously reported, the “Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act,” Senate Bill 13, filed by Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, states that the definition of a human being includes the unborn, and “from the moment of fertilization.”

Therefore, under existing homicide statutes, which define the crime as “the killing of one human being by another,” the unborn would be equally protected, and specifically regarding “acts which cause the death of an unborn child committed during an abortion.”

“Any federal statute, regulation, executive order or court decision which purports to supersede, stay or overrule this [bill] is in violation of the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma and the Constitution of the United States of America and is therefore void,” the bill also declares.

Silk had told reporters in November that he believes state sovereignty needs to be asserted in the face of Roe v. Wade, just like when a number of states sought to abolish slavery despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford affirming the “rights” of slave owners.

“The Supreme Court also ruled that slaves were private property and they were wrong. And so, the courts do need to be challenged,” Silk said. “The goal is to say we are a sovereign state and choose to abolish abortion.”

Silk put forward a similar bill in 2016, but it was likewise stalled by Republican state leadership.

While Committee Chair Smalley says that he opposes abortion, he decided not to give the measure a hearing this legislative session as he doesn’t agree with the approach.

“I’m extremely pro-life. I support the efforts. I support the cause, and I do support the author. I just do not support this kind of method,” Smalley, who attends First Baptist Church of Stroud, told local television station KFOR on Saturday, opining that the bill put forward is “extremely unconstitutional.”