Ross: Why Oklahoma’s stance on abortion will echo throughout the country
May 16, 2022, 6:27 AM | Updated: May 17, 2022, 6:48 am
Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) speaks during a roundtable at the White House (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
12 states have trigger laws that take effect if Roe v Wade is overturned – and Oklahoma is one of them.
If Roe goes, Oklahoma reverts to a law passed in 1910, making abortion a felony, punishable by two to five years in prison, unless it’s the only way to save the mother’s life.
No other exceptions.
So on Fox News Sunday, host Shannon Bream asked Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, who fully supports this, what sounded to me like a ‘gotcha’ question:
“21.3% of children live below the poverty line. Oklahoma ranked 42nd overall in child wellbeing. A Washington Post opinion headline puts it this way: ‘The GOP roars about abortion, then they abandon the children.’ So what is the plan?” Bream asked.
“Here’s the deal. Is the answer [from] the Socialist Democrat left to abort poor kids? I mean, that’s just ridiculous to … quote those types of stats. We have a free market in Oklahoma. We believe that God has a special plan for every single life and every single child … We want everybody to have the same opportunities in Oklahoma. Aborting a child is not the right answer,” Stitt retorted.
I find that when a government official invokes God’s plan, it means the debate is over.
But Shannon was undeterred – she asked about those cases when a woman becomes pregnant against her will:
“Our heart [are] super compassionate about that. We want the churches, we want all the services, the state, and the nonprofits to come around with adoption services. That is super, super hard … We’re gonna do everything we can to help them, but aborting that child, we don’t think is the right thing to do,” Stitt responded.
The governor is saying that in Oklahoma, a large part of the safety net is going to be prayer…
And that the Legislature supports him…
And it is clearly not open to negotiation.
I bring this up because I used to think that, over time, the interstate highway system would homogenize the country.
But more and more, it feels like the rights you have … are going to depend on the exit you take.
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