Rose Day to Focus on Passing Pro-Life Laws

The enactment again of pro-life laws that have been blocked from going into effect by courts will be the focus of lobbying efforts surrounding Rose Day at the Oklahoma Capitol this Wednesday, February 3.

The annual pro-life lobbying day at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City will be devoted to urging lawmakers to enact seven bills which embody the components of pro-life legislation enacted in 2008 and 2009. Oklahoma County district courts have blocked enforcement of the laws. Pro-abortion activists claim that the laws violate the single-subject rule of the state constitution.

Though both laws 2008's SB 1878 and 2009's HB 1595 deal with the subject of abortion, lawyers for the abortion industry claim that the abortion provisions are not closely enough related to meet the nebulous single-subject requirement. As a result, our efforts this session will be devoted to enacting seven separate bills to reclaim the pro-life gains of the past two legislative sessions. This year's bills are:

SB 1890 (Sen. Todd Lamb), prohibiting abortions that are done for the purpose of sex-selection;

HB 3284 (Rep. Pam Peterson), reporting abortions performed in Oklahoma, the reasons abortions are sought, and the complications that result;

HB 2780 (Rep. Lisa Billy), providing a woman an ultrasound of her unborn child which she may view prior to undergoing an abortion;

HB 3290 (Rep. Skye McNiel) and SB 1902 (Sen. Todd Lamb), regulating the use of the dangerous chemical abortion pill RU-486, which kills an unborn child who is about two months old;

HB 2656 (Rep. Dan Sullivan), fostering respect for babies with disabilities by disallowing wrongful-life lawsuits that claim a baby would have been better off being aborted;

HB 3075 (Rep. Rebecca Hamilton), ensuring that a mother's consent to an abortion is truly voluntary and safeguarding against coerced abortions;

SB 1891 (Sen. Todd Lamb) and HB 3110 (Rep. Pam Peterson), protecting health care professionals' freedom of conscience by affirming their right to refuse to participate in the taking of a human life.

Dr. Alveda C. King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be the featured speaker at Rose Day. The program begins at 11:45 a.m. in the House Chamber.

Please contact your own state senator and state representative, urging their support for these pro-life bills. You can identify your legislators by going to our website, www.OkForLife.org. On the left side, click on ID Your Legislators. Type your address, then scroll down to the fourth and fifth entries for names and contact information.

Thank you for speaking out to defend the unborn child.