Image: Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy in "Westworld" / HBO
Today the Oklahoma House Committee on Public Health voted 5-2 in favor of advancing a bill that would require women seeking an abortion to get written permission from the woman's sex partner. HB 1441 does not apply in the cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is in danger. The bill graciously provides an exception if the woman's sexual partner is deceased, as long as she provides a notarized affidavit attesting to that fact.Justin Humphrey, the freshman Republican representative who wrote the bill, told The Intercept that he wanted to make sure men had a say in decisions that don't affect their bodies and that women know their bodies aren't really their own. His explanation:
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Let's be clear: Per Humphrey, only women can "pre-know" when their birth control is going to fail, and thereby choose not to have sex. The committee also passed HB 1549, which would ban women from having an abortion if their fetus has or is suspected of having a genetic anomaly, no matter how early she sought termination.The Intercept reports that HB 1441 was initially referred to the public health committee and tabled without comment. But late last week, it was put back on the committee's agenda for Valentine's Day (of all days). The bill's original version notably uses the medically accurate words "the fetus," but an amended version posted less than 24 hours before the vote replaced all instances with "the baby." Women are merely "hosts," but potentially nonviable fetuses are "babies."The bill is unconstitutional per the 1992 ruling Planned Parenthood v . Casey, wherein the Supreme Court determined that a woman does not have to notify her spouse before having an abortion. It actually goes a giant leap further by requiring the father's informed consent. A statement from the Center for Reproductive Rights noted that the bill "could also amount to a total ban on abortion for many women in domestic violence situations, and could cause abusive incidents for others."Oklahoma is notorious for its anti-choice legislation. In May 2016, the state legislature passed a bill that would have made it a felony to perform an abortion for any reason other than to save the mother's life. Governor Mary Fallin begrudgingly vetoed the bill, acknowledging that it was unconstitutional and would not withstand a legal challenge. Here's hoping that state lawmakers recognize that both HB 1441 and 1549 are a similar waste of time."I believe one of the breakdowns in our society is that we have excluded the man out of all of these types of decisions," he said. "I understand that they feel like that is their body," he said of women. "I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you're a 'host.' And you know when you enter into a relationship you're going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don't get pregnant," he explained. "So that's where I'm at. I'm like, hey, your body is your body and be responsible with it. But after you're irresponsible then don't claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you're the host and you invited that in."