“Mariah Garcia” on 13
VISTA
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the Getting it in Writing: Volume 114, Issue 6
“The Student Voice Since 1903”
Monday, Feb. 20, 2017
Controversial Abortion Bills Pass Committee Process
Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey prepares to speak before a Public Health Committee at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Humphrey submitted House Bill 1441 requiring permission from the father before a woman gets an abortion. (Steve Gooch/The Oklahoman via AP)/The Oklahoman via AP)
The Vista
@TheVista1903 Staff Reports By Megan Prather, managing editor, and Kateleigh Mills, editor-in-chief.
A bill that would require women to obtain the permission from the father of the fetus in order to receive abortion services passed out of an Oklahoma Public Health Committee for a vote of 5-2 on Feb. 14. House Bill 1441 was written by Rep. Justin Humphrey from the District 19, representing the Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw and Pushmataha counties. Rep. Humphrey was elected in 2016 for the 56th Oklahoma Legislature, which has been in the first regular session since Feb. 6, 2017. The bill would require women to disclose the identity of the father to their physician and would require proof, in writing, that the father approves of the abortion procedure. If the person identified as the father is challenged as being the father, he can demand a paternity
test. The bill goes on to exclude women if the father of the fetus is deceased, women whose lives are endangered by the pregnancy and victims of rape and incest. Rep. Humphrey claimed that the father should have a say in what happens to the fetus while referring to women as “hosts.” “I believe one of the breakdowns in our society is that we have excluded the man out of all of these types of decisions. I understand that they feel like that it is their body. I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant,” Rep. Humphrey said in an interview with The Intercept on Feb. 14. The bill has been criticized by reproductive rights groups for being unconstitutional due to past rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court. This type of abortion requirement appeared in the 1992 case of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania V. Casey. See “Abortion Bills” on 3
Baker Sisters Unite to Write
Addison Baker, left, and Emilia Baker pose in front of Old North at the University of Central Oklahoma on Feb. 6, 2017. The sisters are currently writing a biography over former UCO professor and WWII survivor Dr. Hall Duncan. (Kateleigh Mills/ The Vista). (Kateleigh Mills/ The Vista). See “Baker Sisters” on 11 for full feature