Abortion veto override fails by one
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37
By John Greiner
Published: April 26, 2007
Senate anti-abortion proponents failed Wednesday to override the governor's veto of legislation prohibiting public funds and state operated hospitals from performing abortions.
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Laster's switch is key
Laster released a statement after his vote:
"I initially voted in favor of Senate Bill 714. However, in the days since that vote, I have visited with Governor Henry and multiple medical professionals,” Laster said.
"I am pro-life, and I have consistently voted for pro-life legislation. This bill, however, holds poorer Oklahomans to a different standard than everyone else, and I can't support that,” the lawmaker added.
"It does not allow an exception in the case of rape or incest and medical experts in Oklahoma believe this bill will undermine the relationship between doctors and their patients. The bill also interferes with private health insurance coverage,” he said.
Sen. James Williamson, the Tulsa Republican who is author of SB 714, said the battle isn't over.
"I certainly have not given up the fight,” Williamson said. "I want him to hear from his pro-life constituents on how important it is to them.”
Williamson said the reason Laster gave Wednesday for changing his vote involves the same arguments that were used against the bill during every previous vote, but Laster still voted for the bill each time before Wednesday's vote.
Henry issued a statement expressing appreciation of those who voted to sustain his veto, adding he respected the position of those who did not.‘Put this issue behind'
The bill doesn't permit abortions in public institutions if the woman is a victim of rape or incest.
It allows abortions in government-run hospitals if the mother's life is in danger.
Henry said he knows some will be tempted to cast this vote in a political light, but he urged them to respect the decision made by other legislators.
"There are good people on both sides of SB 714, and it is my hope that they can put this issue behind them and work together to address the needs of Oklahoma,” Henry said.
Tony Lauinger, chairman of Oklahomans for Life, said, "We're very disappointed with today's vote, but this is not the end of the effort to enact SB 714. We think the bill ought to be enacted to affirm the importance of protecting innocent human life.”
The bill also requires doctors performing abortions to fill out reports to make sure they comply with existing laws, including those that require a minor to have parental consent before an abortion.
It also requires Oklahomans to pay an additional premium for optional insurance to cover elective abortions.
The bill defines an elective abortion as one that occurs for any reason other than a spontaneous miscarriage or to prevent the death of a mother.
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Related Topics:
U.S. State Government, U.S. Government, Domestic Policy, Social Policy, Political Policy, Politics, Abortion, Abortion Policy


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I for one am glad to see my hard earn dollars will be going towards murdering babies. I guess that's what Brad Henry meant by doing thing "The Oklahoma Way" during the election. Istook wouldn't have allowed this too happen. Thank God he lost.
Just because a woman believes she can not afford to have a child does not give her the right to kill that child.
The last time I checked, a person's status as a human is only conveyed to them at birth. And the statutes on murder, as far as I’ve seen, only apply to living people, although some court rulings have blurred this line (people imprisoned for 2 counts of murders for killing a pregnant woman, charges are frequent, but actual convictions are rare.) It certainly isn’t feasible to expect a 4-celled fertilized ovum to survive as a person outside the womb. It isn’t even reasonable for a pea sized fetus to live beyond the womb. After all ‘test-tube’ babies are fertilized in a dish then transplanted to a woman’s uterus for ~ 9 months incubation.
Isn’t it sad, when people relegate an entire group (women, especially poor women) to breeder status, just because they believe themselves to be ‘morally superior’ to a woman making a very difficult decision for herself & her circumstance?
No one is advocating abortion as a "way of life." No one is forcing anyone to have an abortion. The choice is a woman's.
thank you
Jay Hirsch
Abortion is legalized murder. All Governor Henry did was show his true colors on this issue. It was stated on one of the other posts that the Senate shouldn't regulate morals. I agree with this wholeheartedly but when Pro-Abortion advocates are controlling the morals and ethics of this State.The legislature is forced to step in and protect the people from their own stupidity.