Democrat U.S. Sen. Patty Murray bashed pro-life Oklahomans on Tuesday for passing a law to protect unborn babies’ right to life, calling the new abortion ban “cruel” and “extreme.”
Alarmed by the growing list of new pro-life state laws, the Washington state politician promised to keep fighting for the “right” to abort an unborn baby.
“This isn’t going away—Republicans did not stop in Texas or in Idaho, and they won’t stop in Oklahoma either,” Murray said in a statement Tuesday. “This is a fight for our generation. This is a fight for our times. And I will do everything I can to protect the right to abortion.”
Earlier in the day, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law to protect unborn babies’ right to life by banning all abortions. Unless blocked by the courts, the law will save approximately 4,000 babies from abortion every year.
“I promised Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that hit my desk, and that’s what we’re doing here today,” the governor said. “We want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country. We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma.”
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State lawmakers took action amid growing concerns that Oklahoma has become a travel destination for abortions since Texas enacted its heartbeat law last fall. The intent of the new law is to save lives, but Murray blasted it as “cruel” and heartless.
“When Texas passed their cruel abortion ban, thousands of Texas patients went across state lines—including to Oklahoma—to get constitutionally-protected abortion care,” she said. “But now, Oklahoma has passed their own abortion ban, and it will force Oklahoma patients to go across state lines, too, just to get the care they need.”
While some pregnant mothers do travel to other states for abortions when states pass pro-life laws, others choose life for their babies. Abortion activists admit that pro-life laws do stop abortions, and Murray also hinted at the truth when she claimed pro-life laws “force” some women to stay pregnant.
“This is cruel. These bans are a threat to our fundamental rights and they will continue to create health crises, with impacts far beyond the states where they are enacted,” she said.
Murray, who claims to be Catholic, has a 100-percent pro-abortion voting record, according to the National Right to Life Committee, including voting for taxpayer-funded abortions and against protections for babies who survive abortions.
Supposedly Catholic President Joe Biden also criticized the new Oklahoma law in a statement this week.
“This unconstitutional attack on women’s rights is just the latest and one of the most extreme state laws signed into law to date,” the statement said. “Protecting the right recognized in Roe v. Wade continues to be a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and we call on Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would shut down these attacks and codify this long-recognized, constitutional right.”
The new Oklahoma law bans all abortions except if the mother’s life is at risk. It also creates felony charges for abortionists who kill unborn babies in violation of the ban, which includes up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
About 4,000 unborn babies are aborted every year in Oklahoma, according to state health statistics; but abortion industry workers say they have been seeing more women come from Texas for abortions since the Texas heartbeat law went into effect in September.
All across the country, state lawmakers have introduced hundreds of pro-life bills this year in anticipation that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe. Since 1973, states have been forced to legalize abortions without limits up to viability, and more than 63.5 million unborn babies have been killed.
The Guttmacher Institute estimates 26 states “are certain or likely to ban abortions” if the Supreme Court gets rid of Roe. Researchers estimated that abortion numbers would drop by about 120,000 in the first year and potentially even more in subsequent years if the high court allows states to ban abortions again.
Meanwhile, pro-life advocates also are working to expand support services for families in need, through pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and even programs to help pregnant mothers in prison choose life for their babies.
