Bill could harm good cause

It says much about the strange state of abortion debate that Oklahoma lawmakers are being told they can't call themselves pro-life unless they vote to repeal the law requiring parental notification of abortion, among other things. That contradiction explains why so many lawmakers and religious groups who fundamentally oppose abortion are nonetheless refusing to support a bill that would outlaw abortion. Senate Bill 13 declares that an unborn child “is entitled to the same rights, powers, privileges, justice and protections as are secured or granted by the laws of this state to any other human person” from “the moment of fertilization.” It would effectively outlaw abortion in all circumstances. Supporters say their goal is to force a U.S. Supreme Court rehearing on abortion rights in the hope five of nine justices will reverse Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that made abortion a constitutional right. Most experts think that's a long shot at best. At the same time, SB 13 includes provisions that repeal many laws supported by anti-abortion groups. This is among several

The incremental and piecemeal victories of antiabortion groups in recent decades have shifted public attitudes against abortion and reduced the number of abortions.

reasons religious leaders who oppose abortion also oppose SB 13, which is not expected to receive a legislative hearing. In an “open letter” published in the Baptist Messenger, leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma warn that SB 13 “unnecessarily and purposely repeals hardearned pro-life laws that have helped significantly reduce Oklahoma's abortion rate, including repealing our state's ban on partial birth abortion, parental notification requirements, the unborn child protection from dismemberment abortion, among numerous other lifesaving laws.” Oklahoma's two Roman Catholic bishops raise similar concerns about repealing existing abortion restrictions. “While we agree that completely ending abortion is the goal, we cannot ignore the reality that our progress over these decades equates to human lives saved,” they said. The legislator who authored SB 13 dismisses those concerns, saying laws requiring parental notification of abortion and similar restrictions are “keeping abortion legal in Oklahoma. If Oklahoma wants to end abortion and protect all human life, we cannot retain the exceptions that these `pro-life' laws offer. We are either an abortion-free state or a state that simply regulates abortion.” Yet the incremental and piecemeal victories of antiabortion groups in recent decades have shifted public attitudes against abortion and reduced the number of abortions. If you doubt it, just note the harsh rhetoric of abortion-rights supporters when they discuss partialbirth abortion bans and other restrictions. In refusing to hear SB 13, legislative leaders are not turning their backs on the unborn, but joining arms with those who have been on the front lines of this fight. Baptist and Catholic leaders realize their past victories are significant and shouldn't be discarded. And they recognize the danger of an “all or nothing” strategy … is that you can end up with nothing.