An Oklahoma state senator wants to make abortion a first-degree murder crime.
States Sen. Joe Silk, R-Broken Bow, recently introduced S.B. 1118, which puts killing an unborn child on the current murder statutes.
"No person shall perform or induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion after conception," the bill reads. "A person commits murder in the first degree when that person performs an abortion as defined by Section 1-745.5 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes."
The bill protects an unborn child from the moment of conception. It defines abortion as "the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug or any other substance or device to intentionally kill an unborn human being."
The bill was drafted after a petition signed by more than 30,000 Oklahoma residents demanded abortion be designated as murder.
"(W)e hereby respectfully demand that our state government stop protecting the murder of children by abortion within its jurisdiction and establish justice for all pre-born human beings in our state," the petition reads in part. "We demand that our legislators stop passing laws to regulate abortion and instead outlaw all abortion as murder."
"We demand that these changes be made now -- not five, ten or fifteen years down the road," the petition continues. "In short, we the people of the state of Oklahoma demand the total and immediate abolition of human abortion as the legal, constitutional and moral duty of our elected and appointed officials."
According to Christian News, the Abolitionist Society of Norman and hundreds of supporters across the country who traveled to Oklahoma, circulated the petition.
"This bill aims to protect all children from destruction in Oklahoma, and bring Oklahoma law into compliance with the United States Constitution," the group said in a press release. "This bill unabashedly defies the Supreme Court's perversion and denunciation of the constitutional right to life, and seeks to establish justice for those being deprived of life without due process of law."
Christian News also reports that state Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, recently introduced a similar bill. S.B. 1552 would take away the medical license of any physician who performs an abortion.
"Any physician participating in the performance of an abortion shall be prohibited from obtaining or renewing a license to practice medicine in this state," the bill reads.
"No person shall perform or induce an abortion upon a pregnant woman. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than three years in the state penitentiary," it states.
The Oklahoma Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing for both bills on Tuesday.
Christian News reports nearly 60 million children have been killed in the womb since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
To get involved, contact Oklahoma state senators here: http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/Default.aspx?selectedtab=0
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