Skip to Content
Everything Else

Derplahoman lawmaker Joseph Silk wants to make abortions a felony

10:37 AM EST on November 30, 2018

The beginning of the next legislative session may still be two months away, but that doesn’t mean our Derplahoman lawmakers aren’t working hard year-round to show the world that Oklahoma is still living in 1952.

In fact, State Senator Joseph Silk – an Oklahoma lawmaker known for anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, hating daylight savings time, looking like a female orgasm-skeptic — just introduced a bill that is better suited for a GOP wet dream than an actual law.

Via NewsOK…

Abortion would be classified as a felony crime punishable by life in prison, according to legislation filed in the Oklahoma Senate on Thursday…

Senate Bill 13 by Broken Bow Republican Joseph Silk redefines homicide to include any abortion.

As seen here, here, and here, many other anti-abortion bills introduced by our esteem lawmakers have been struck down for being too vague, unconstitutional, or plain ole batshit crazy. Plus, even if you were educated in the Oklahoma public school system and received nothing higher than a D in your junior year government class, you probably still know that federal law supersedes state law. And the Roe vs. Wade case decided that state laws that banned abortion, which is basically what SB 13 is trying to do, were considered unconstitutional. But the Supremacy Clause is no match for the our Derplahoman lawmakers.

Senate Bill 13 by Broken Bow Republican Joseph Silk redefines homicide to include any abortion. It also directs prosecutors to enforce the law "regardless of any contrary or conflicting federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, or court decisions." If it becomes law and is challenged in federal court, Silk's bill would prevent Oklahoma from sending attorneys to argue its case.

So basically, Silk knows this bill – which will probably never make out of committee and was patched together to appease and pander far right evangelicals – is going to be challenged, if not flat out fail. So he is trying his best to waste as much time and money possible in his political temper tantrum because he’s not going to get his way. As a recovering catholic, I have heard over and over the argument that anti-abortion advocates only want to protect unborn kids. But if the members of our esteemed GOP really did care about Oklahoma children, they would be spending less time trying to get access to the reproductive parts I assure you no Oklahoma woman wants them to have, and more time making sure public education is funded and children's Medicaid is expanded.

Hayley is an Oklahoma woman who does not want Silk having any say over her reproductive parts. Follow her on twitter @squirrellygeek

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter