By Tony Lauinger, State Chairman, Oklahomans for Life
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin
The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, HB 1721, was approved by the Oklahoma state Senate Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 37-4. All four of the NO votes were cast by Democrats.
In fact, not a single Democrat voted in favor of the critically important pro-life bill. Besides the four who voted NO, the Senate’s other three Democrats, who had been present in the Senate chamber during consideration of other bills through the afternoon, failed to vote on the Oklahoma legislature’s most important pro-life bill in years.
All 37 votes in favor of the pro-life bill — which prohibits killing unborn babies by tearing off their arms and legs, causing them to bleed to death — were cast by Republicans.
In my 38 legislative sessions at the state Capitol, Wednesday marked the only time a pro-life bill has ever passed without support from a single Democrat. April 8th, 2015, will be remembered with shame as the day the entire Senate Democrat Caucus rejected the sanctity of innocent human life.
The bill’s author, Senator Josh Brecheen of Coalgate, quoted former abortionist Anthony Levatino, MD, describing how he did dismemberment abortions on 24-week-old babies:
“Once you have grasped something inside (the uterus), squeeze on the clamp to set the jaws and pull hard — really hard. You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg about six inches long. Reach in again and grasp whatever you can. Set the jaw and pull really hard once again and out pops an arm about the same length. Reach in again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart and lungs.”
Senator Joseph Silk of Broken Bow, debating in favor of the bill, quoted abortionist LeRoy Carhart regarding whether the baby would be alive during a dismemberment abortion:
“I know that the fetus is alive during the process most of the time because I can see fetal heartbeat on the ultrasound.”
Republican senators Brian Crain of Tulsa and Clark Jolley of Edmond also debated eloquently in support of the pro-life bill.