Oklahoma GOP lawmaker says he will introduce bill to criminalize and end all abortions in the state

An Oklahoma GOP lawmaker announced plans Wednesday to introduce a bill criminalizing abortion in the state.

Republican State Sen. Warren Hamilton said in a statement he plans to file the bill, titled the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act/Equal Protection and Equal Justice Act, according to local ABC affiliate KOCO News.

“The measure would ensure equal justice and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization and establish that an unborn child has the same God-given inalienable rights as any other human,” the statement reads.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) states on its website that “no state interest described by fetal rights advocates has enough force to override a woman’s fundamental rights of privacy, bodily integrity, and self-determination.”

The ACLU furthers that pregnant women and fetuses “should never be regarded as separate, independent, and even adversarial, entities.”

The Hill contacted the ACLU for comment regarding Hamilton’s proposed measure but did not immediately receive a response.

Hamilton’s bill maintains the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit states from exercising reserved police powers to outlaw homicide and provide equal protection to all persons within its jurisdiction, the press release said.

“All human life is sacred from the very moment of conception,” Hamilton said in the news release.

“As Americans, we must stand up for those who cannot defend themselves, those not yet born, and protect their lives at all costs,” Hamilton added. “Abortion is an abomination before God, and something we must stop here in Oklahoma if we expect our state to be great. We must also acknowledge the truth that God will not bless America as long as we have innocent blood on our hands.”

The bill is backed by several groups and organizations, including the Southern Baptists for the Abolition of Abortion, the Freewill Baptists Abolitionist Society and Free the States.

Nicole McAfee, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the ACLU, called Hamilton’s proposed legislation an attack on “access to critical care.”

“Nationwide, and in Oklahoma in particular, politicians have created a web of dangerous, politically motivated restrictions that push abortion care out of reach for many. And even by those standards, Hamilton’s extremist attack shows a disappointing lack of respect for the rights and liberties of Oklahomans,” McAfee added.

Updated on Thursday at 9:38 a.m.