Catholic Leaders Want Obama Speech Nixed

From The Oklahoman ~ The highest-ranking Roman Catholic leaders in Oklahoma are calling for the cancellation of President Barack Obama’s upcoming commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame.

The Most Rev. Edward J. Slattery, Tulsa bishop, and the Most Rev. Eusebius Beltran, Oklahoma City archbishop, have joined reportedly thousands of Catholic clergy and lay people who have sent letters and e-mails to the university expressing outrage at Obama being graduation speaker. His support of abortion rights is the source of the anger.

Read the entire story at www.newsok.com.

Share |

House Resolution Opposes Obama Move

A resolution opposing a move by President Barack Obama to classify abortion as a fundamental right in the same category as the right of free speech and the right to vote passed a House committee today.

Obama has stated support for the federal “Freedom of Choice Act,” which if passed would invalidate all state laws that interfere with abortion.

House Joint Resolution 1009 urges the U.S. Congress to oppose the law, citing the states’ right to regulate abortion in an effort to protect women’s health.

Share |

Pro-Life Bill Becomes Law

Resorting to a seldom-used means of enacting a law, Governor Brad Henry on Wednesday night declined to either veto pro-life Senate Bill 139 or sign it into law, instead allowing the bill to become law without his signature. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, a bill approved by the legislature automatically becomes law after five days if the governor declines to take action on it.

Share |

Veto Proof? Senate Approves Anti-Abortion Bill

The Senate has approved and sent to Governor Brad Henry a controversial abortion measure.

Senate Bill 139 by Sen. James Williamson, R-Tulsa, passed by a 34-14 vote in what appears to be a veto-proof margin.

The bill bans the use of public money for abortions except to save the life of a woman or in cases of rape or incest.

The governor vetoed a similar measure that didn't contain those exceptions. The Senate sustained his veto twice. Senators Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee; Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City; and Nancy Riley, D-Sand Springs, voted earlier to sustain the veto but today voted for the new bill.

Share |

Oklahoma Poll Abortion Question Results

Share |

Veto Override Attempt Fails Again, 3rd Try Likely

On Wednesday the evenly divided Oklahoma Senate again fell one short of the 32 votes needed to override Governor Brad Henry's veto of SB 714, a pro-life bill that would prohibit state funds, facilities, and employees from being used to perform abortions except to save the life of the mother.

The bill's author, Senator James A. Williamson of Tulsa, said he will continue the effort to ban state funding for abortions: "I will continue the effort to override the governor as long as I believe there is a realistic chance to change someone's mind," Williamson said. "Our fight on behalf of unborn Oklahomans to enact the protections contained in SB 714 will continue," Williamson said.

Senate Bill 714 is a pro-life bill that prohibits the use of state funds, facilities, and employees to perform abortions. It also requires abortionists to file paperwork with the state showing they are following laws requiring informed consent of patients and the notification of minors' parents before abortions are performed.

Share |

Romney Shifts Abortion Position

Attempting to defuse a controversy that threatened his claim to Republican conservatism, Governor Mitt Romney acknowledged that his views on abortion had changed during his years of public service, Captain's Quarters (click to read the full post) reports.

At the National Review's Conservative Summit, he gave his explanation of his transformation: "On abortion, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative," Romney told a gathering of conservatives. "Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way. But like him, I learned from experience."

During his 2002 campaign for Massachusetts governor, Romney said that while he personally opposed abortion, he would leave the state's abortion laws intact. In his speech Saturday, he said he had had a change of heart after a discussion with a stem cell researcher.

Romney had to come up with an explanation for his change of heart on abortion. Pro-life conservatives would not have trusted Romney with the nomination unless they understood the shift in his position as coming from conviction rather than political expediency. He obviously has worked on this answer for a while; invoking Ronald Reagan provided a nice touch, especially at an event such as the National Review summit.

Share |

Reynolds Files Anti-Abortion Bill

Legislation filed by state Rep. Mike Reynolds would make most abortions illegal in Oklahoma if the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn its decision declaring abortion a constitutional right.

"Too many babies are dying every day and if we can save any of them, we should," said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. "Given recent changes at the Supreme Court and expected retirements, there is a real chance the court could revisit and reverse the Roe v. Wade decision. My legislation will ensure that Oklahoma acts immediately to protect the lives of the unborn."

Reynolds' House Bill 1014 establishes a "trigger" in state law to reactivate Oklahoma's laws against abortion in the event the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 decision to make abortion a constitutional right. Prior to the 1973 court decision, abortion was regulated at the state and local level. Although Oklahoma's pre-1973 abortion laws are still on the books, it is not certain that those laws would be enforced by the courts after lying dormant for decades without passage of "trigger" legislation, Reynolds said.

"This legislation will ensure the state of Oklahoma acts immediately to save the lives of the unborn if we are given the chance,"Reynolds said. "This bill gives the members of the Oklahoma Legislature the chance to go on the record and say we want to save the lives of unborn children."

Share |