Republicans labeled ‘racists’ by Dems
Legislative Democrats are trying to label some Republicans as “racists,” “anti-choice” and “transphobic” due to the passage of bills that seek to stop abortion and to keep boys from pretending to be girls and competing in school sports.
Democrats were livid when they claimed that Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Sallisaw, said in debate over Senate Bill 612 that the fight to abolish abortion is more critical than the fight to end slavery.
The bill’s author was Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow. It would criminalize and abortion in Oklahoma expect to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. It passed 38-9 in the Senate and 8-1 in the House Public Health Committee.
Democrats want Olsen punished for voicing his opposition to the murder of unborn babies. And they want all elected Republicans to be forced to attend “diversity training” to conform to the Democrats’ view of political correctness.
“The constant barrage of cavalier racism is a distinct sign that Oklahoma is not doing fine. This is not the first time in this session alone that in debating the abortion issue, a Republican legislator evoked a racist trope to defend their indefensible position,” said Alicia Andrews, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party…
“The Oklahoma Democratic Party demands not only an apology from Representative Olsen but also that Speaker of the Oklahoma House, Charles McCall, immediately censures Olsen. Moreover, we request that all Oklahoma House Representatives undergo Diversity and Inclusion training conducted by a nationally recognized facilitator before this session is over and at the beginning of every session in the future.”
Keep abortion legal in Oklahoma
Rep. Denise Brewer, D-Tulsa, wants abortion to stay legalized and wants the Republicans to stop introducing and passing bills to protect the lives of unborn children.
“We have been bombarded by anti-choice bills, which all have a common theme: written by men focusing on taking away the rights of pregnant people to control their bodies,” Brewer said. “SB 612 is particularly offensive. It is an attempt to destroy doctor-patient confidentiality, threatens physicians with huge fines and felony charges, and none of these bills say anything about the responsibility of the father.
“Today, we heard a claim that the abortion fight is bigger than the hundreds of years when African Americans were kidnapped and enslaved, with no control of their bodies, families, or even recognized as humans. Those insensitive ideas are alive and well in our Capitol.”
“We continue as policy makers to chip away at the rights of women to choose proper healthcare for themselves in Senate Bill 612, and now we are hearing our colleagues compare these healthcare issues to slavery which also limited the rights of Black women by not allowing them to have a choice not to have children by their slave masters,” said Rep. Ajay Pittman, D-Oklahoma City.
Keeping boys off girls’ teams
House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman, and State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-OKC, are livid due to the passage of Senate Bill 2, which prevents boys from playing on athletic teams meant for girls.
“We need infrastructure, but my colleagues continue to double down on legislation that denies the existence of trans youth. Trans girls are girls – full stop,” said Turner.
“We will continue to show up in the face of bigotry and anti-trans legislation. We have defeated other anti-LGBTQ2S+ and anti-trans legislation, and we will do it again- but we can’t do it without you and groups like ACLU of Oklahoma, Freedom Oklahoma and so many more. Please keep fighting.”
“Senate Bill 2 … ostracizes children and casts a dark cloud on our state’s reputation nationally,” Virgin said. “Our tax structure means nothing if businesses refuse to be associated with us due to the legislation we run. Instead of hurtful legislation, we need Oklahoma focused solutions.”