A Republican state senator in Oklahoma is angry that his party’s leadership has scuttled a bill he wrote that would classify abortion “from the moment of conception” — and possibly some forms of birth control — as first-degree murder.
Oklahoma state Sen. Joseph Silk told WorldNetDaily yesterday that his legislation would sidestep the “typical pro-life rhetoric” in order to get “justice for all these murdered children” and ultimately force the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade:
Silk said it’s time for pro-life leaders to go after what they really want.
“We need to call it what it is, which is murder – the premeditated, intentional killing of a human being – and then treat it as such,” Silk told WND and Radio America. “We’re trying to change the conversation from the typical pro-life rhetoric to actually being pro-life and getting justice for all these murdered children.”
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“We need to attack the issue directly. Life begins at conception, and abortion is murder,” he said.
“Until we start doing that, [the Supreme Court is] never going to be forced to overturn that ruling.”
He said activists have changed court precedent many times in the past, most notably with respect to slavery. He also said the Supreme Court defied its own logic on the definition of marriage in just two years
“Just three years ago, they said marriage shall be defined by the states,” Silk said. “After continuous pounding, what did they do this last year? They defined it for us. Sure, some bills may get struck down, but eventually you’re going to push the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
The language of Silk’s bill, which is similar to that of some “personhood” measures, risks classifying some forms of birth control as murder. The legislation also specifically includes the destruction of embryos created in the in-vitro fertilization process in its definition of first-degree murder, saying it applies to fertilized eggs “whether conceived or located inside or outside the body of a human female.”
The legislation shows a simmering feud between anti-abortion groups over the best strategy to outlaw abortion, with “personhood” activists pressing for immediate action with more established organizations pushing for incremental laws curtailing abortion rights and limiting access.
The group Abolish Human Abortion, which supports Silk’s effort, has posted a photo of a letter that Oklahomans for Life, the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, sent to state lawmakers opposing Silk’s bill because it would replace two anti-choice measures that it supports. The group Personhood Alabama, on the other hand, has praised the bill.
Silk is also promoting a so-called “bathroom bill” similar to one recently passed in North Carolina that would prohibit transgender people from using the restrooms of their choice. He has said that LGBT people “don’t have a right to be served in every single store.”
