Pro-abortion Senate Dem accidentally hits on the regulatory flaw of "pro-life"

Here's the sad truth about abortion, and it took time for me to fully understand it: pro-life laws put abortion into statute. Let me say that again: abortion is law today because of pro-life laws.

There's a reason why Democrats tried to pass a bill in the U.S. Senate late last month to codify abortion into federal law (they failed). Roe v. Wade is not law. Roe v. Wade is not statute.

Pro-lifers have been motivated to save the lives of the unborn, but for decades, we've actually been putting into law the means by which the preborn are murdered. We're regulating babies to death.

Once you understand this fact, it really is eye-opening. I believe that most pro-lifers would agree that abortion is murder, that life begins at conception, and that the ultimate goal is to end abortion in all forms it takes. Thus, a truly and fully consistent pro-life position is that of the total and immediate abolition of abortion.

State Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman) is a liberal, pro-abortion Democrat. She penned an op-ed in The Oklahoman recently, attacking pro-life 'Rose Day', and accidentally stumbling upon a hard truth about pro-life legislation: that pro-life laws are aimed at reduc[ing] abortion rates, instead of making them illegal or move them out of state.

She is accidentally right. If Roe were struck down today, abortion would still be legal in every state, because the when, where, and how of baby-murder is written into state laws by pro-life legislation. 

This is why legislatures everywhere should be advancing pure abolition bills: "An abolition bill does not regulate which preborn human beings are old enough to be protected by law – it outlaws abortion itself."

Here's Boren's column, which seems to have been removed from The Oklahoman last time I checked:

Viewpoint: Anti-abortion legislation should honor dignity, privacy of Oklahoma women

by Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman

Originally published in The Oklahoman, though now removed for some reason (cached copy)

Surely being an pro-life legislator is more than voting for abortion regulation laws and having your name read off a list on Rose Day each year.

Do I really have to vote for laws like Senate Bill 1167 and SB 1553 that track the menstruation cycles of women to be pro-life?

Last session, I introduced SB 138 to protect the education opportunity of pregnant students in Oklahoma. A large majority of Oklahoma’s private Christian colleges have requested federal waivers from the pregnancy protections contained in Title IX that apply to public colleges. Most “pro-life” colleges are places where an unmarried pregnant woman can lose her scholarships and college credits. SB 138 is a pro-life bill because it reduces the crisis in pregnant college students’ lives. But SB 138 does not aim to overturn Roe v. Wade, so it has not received a hearing.

Voters in my district have encouraged me to vote for laws that honor the life of the unborn, while also honoring the dignity, privacy and moral agency of women. These pro-life voters believe:

1. Pro-life laws humanize and honor the lives of the unborn for their whole lives.
2. Pro-life laws honor the life, privacy, dignity and moral agency of women.
3. Pro-life laws reduce abortion rates, instead of making them illegal or move them out of state.
4. Pro-life laws increase the likelihood that every pregnancy is welcomed and healthy by reducing the crisis in pregnant women’s lives so that they can carry their pregnancy to term.

Sadly, the agenda of Rose Day has narrowed over time to preserve political power by regulating abortions in ways that dehumanize pregnant women instead of removing the crisis in their lives, and this exploitive agenda pushes lawmakers like me out of their fellowship on Rose Day.

Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, represents the people living in District 16, which includes Norman, Noble, Lexington and Slaughterville in Cleveland County.

Here's the thing, Boren's definition of "pro-life" is not what most pro-lifers would agree with, but she stumbled on the regulatory nature of the pro-life movement. Instead, abortion must be abolished.

Burns files 'Every Mother Matters Act' aimed at promoting alternatives to abortion

Sen. Burns files Every Mother Matters Act; measure aimed at giving moms alternatives to abortion

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. George Burns has filed Senate Bill 1167, the “Every Mother Matters Act,” also known as EMMA. The legislation is aimed at ensuring that any woman seeking an abortion is given access to resources and programs she may not realize are available.  Burns, R-Pollard, said the goal is to give women the support they need to choose life, instead of abortion.

According to the Abortion Surveillance in Oklahoma Report published by the Oklahoma State Department of Health in August 2020, between 2002 and 2020, there were 99,543 abortions performed in Oklahoma, an average of 5,239 a year. During that period, the abortion rate was higher among women between the ages of 20 and 29.  Black women, women with less education, and those who were unmarried had higher rates of abortions compared to other women of child-bearing age.

“Many women facing unexpected pregnancies turn to abortion because they feel like they have no choice.  We want to make sure they have an opportunity to connect with medical, financial and other resources that they may not know about,” Burns said.  “This legislation will do that as well as provide screening to identify those who’ve been victims of crime so that, with the woman’s consent, a report can be made to the appropriate law enforcement agency.”