The Oklahoma House of Representatives advanced a bill May 5 that would allow taxpayer dollars from the state’s Choosing Childbirth program to support out-of-state pro-life organizations providing care to pregnant women.
SB 1503, sponsored by state Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, and state Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, would modify eligibility for programs aimed at reducing abortions by increasing available resources, counseling, education, and support to expectant mothers.
The bill would specifically allow out-of-state nonprofits to receive state grants if they register with the Oklahoma Secretary of State and meet existing eligibility rules, including prohibitions on providing or referring for abortions. The grants reimburse services such as pregnancy counseling, ultrasounds, material support, adoption referrals, and postpartum care for Oklahoma mothers and children up to 3 years old.
The House approved the measure 73-18, largely along party lines. All Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill. It now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk for consideration.
NPR-affiliate KOSU reported that lawmakers designed the legislation with the Texas-based Human Coalition in mind, a nonprofit that uses telecare and its seven brick-and-mortar facilities throughout the U.S. to connect pregnant women seeking an abortion with counseling and local resources. The group says it has helped save the lives of more than 35,000 preborn children nationwide since 2009.
According to ABC-affiliate KOCO News, debate on the House floor ahead of the bill’s passage was heated. Democrats in opposition raised questions about how patients’ data would be protected and why the state was not investing more in local programs instead.
Supporters framed the bill as a direct effort to save unborn lives and support pregnant women. Lepak said the measure was about “saving babies,” and state Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, similarly said that fewer children “will be murdered in the state of Oklahoma” if the bill is enacted.