Oklahoma House advances bill prohibiting abortions of unborn babies with birth defects

The Oklahoma state House has approved a bill that seeks to ban abortions of unborn babies with birth defects or Down Syndrome.

House Bill 1549, authored by Rep. George Faught (R-Muskogee), was passed by the House on World Down Syndrome Day last Tuesday by a vote of 67–17. Under the legislation, discriminatory abortions based on the unborn baby's genetic abnormalities would be prohibited, and physicians who violate the measure would be held liable, according to Life News.

"Life is a gift from God," Faught told KFOR News, "Today, I am thankful that the members of the House of Representatives chose to protect that gift," he added.

The bill failed to pass out of the Public Health Committee last month after some legislators expressed concern that it would be challenged in court. However, some committee members changed their position and voted to advance the bill to the state House.

Rep. Mark Lawson, a freshman Republican, initially voted against the measure, but he later became a co-author and helped change some of its wording. The bill is now headed to the state Senate for consideration.

House members who opposed the bill accused Faught of attempting to make personal decisions for all the women in Oklahoma.

"At what point did you decide that that's within your ability to decide for all women in Oklahoma?" said Rep. Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa).

Rep. Emily Virgin (D-Norman) said that the bill is using Down Syndrome as part of the efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"[T]his bill fails to recognize that every pregnancy is different and these decisions are agonizing and personal ones for families," Virgin wrote on social media, according to Red Dirt Report.

When Faught was asked why his bill carries no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, he said: "Well, it's an act of sin. We live in a sinful world. Men and women do horrible things, but God can bring beauty out of ashes."

The Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice issued a public statement, saying the bill would be "deeply damaging" to reproductive health care and doctor–patient relationships.

The advocacy group Trust Women Foundation also denounced the measure, arguing that women should be the ones to make decisions if abortion is "the best outcome" for their pregnancies.

In 2013, North Dakota became the first state to ban abortions based on the diagnosis of disabilities of the unborn baby. Indiana approved a similar legislation last year, but it was blocked by a judge. Several states have laws that ban abortions based solely on the gender of the unborn baby.