OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An Oklahoma bill making it’s way through the state senate would abolish abortion in the state of Oklahoma.
According to SB 1118 anyone who performs an abortion would be considered a criminal, guilty of first degree murder.
State Senator Joseph Silk authored the bill, which passed committee recently.
The first degree murder penalty was actually added after the bill passed out of the Health and Human Services Committee.
“Life begins at conception,” Silk said. “Those human embryos deserve every bit of protection as a one-year-old child.”
However, the bill is now stuck, held up by republican leadership at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Silk is shocked members of his own party are standing with Planned Parenthood and against SB 1118.
Republican Senate leadership has so far refused to let SB 1118 be heard on the senate floor.
“It’s still being stopped, which is very very frustrating,” Silk said.
If SB 1118 becomes law, abortion providers will face first degree murder charges.
Senate leadership told Silk his bill goes too far.
“Are you really pro-life if you can actually come out and oppose this bill for no reason?” Silk said. “Don’t say you’re pro-life and you believe life begins at conception if you are willing to allow 6,000 lives being murdered in Oklahoma every year.”
Supporters are very vocal on their Facebook page.
“A lot of legislators in Oklahoma don’t trust women,” said Democratic Representative Emily Virgin. “They don’t trust women and their doctors to make those very tough decisions.”
Democrats, Planned Parenthood and a number of pro-life groups are standing against SB 1118 because it is extreme and it targets families who use in-vitro fertilization to conceive.
