A bill prohibiting abortions without the father’s approval passes out of House Committee.
Representative Justin Humphrey says he took the title off House Bill 1441 so it could be amended and go through the committee process. The Atoka Republican says he wants the bill to start the conversation of getting a father involved in the pregnancy.
"I'm proud that I've gotten a chance to start the conversation. Where the conversation ends, we're not sure."
Tamya Cox with Planned Parenthood says she, and others like her, are more than willing to have a conversation about ways to decrease abortions in Oklahoma.
"We have those conversations every day in the community. Those conversations start with education and access, not wasting taxpayer money on legislation that goes nowhere."
Cox says the courts have already decided the issue of a woman’s body autonomy and access to abortion.
Humphrey took some heat recently for calling pregnant mothers "hosts," but says he didn’t mean to degrade women.
"I actually went and Googled that and I went to Webster and I couldn't find a better term. So, if there's better verbiage out there, I will gladly use better verbiage."
But, Cox says there is a better term out there.
"Woman."
"We definitely need to increase our female representation at the state leglislature. And we believe when we increase that female representation, bills like this that are anti-woman and anti-abortion won't see the light of day."
The measure passed out of the House Committee on Public Health along party lines 5-2, and now heads to the full House for consideration.
