TULSA, Okla. — Opponents of an Oklahoma State House Bill seeking to restrict abortions said it also could lead to fewer births.
Moore Republican Rep. Kevin West calls it the Oklahoma Right to Life Act.
It lists several new rules for doctors and women in the state to follow regarding abortion and contraceptives but also defines what constitutes a human life.
HB 3216 lists abortion only being permitted when deemed medically necessary by a doctor, as declared by the state supreme court last year.
But if a woman does get an abortion, their name would get listed as a number in a state health department database accessible by a court order.
The doctor who performed the medically necessary abortion would also be required to submit a written justification under oath of why the abortion was performed.
Additionally, Rep. West's bill outlaws contraceptives like IUDs and Plan B pills unless prescribed.
In a Feb. 14 House Public Health Committee hearing, West admitted he'll need to fine-tune much of the language because of confusion from multiple members.
"I have made the commitment to this committee to work on these potential problem areas. I'm more than willing to do that," he said.
What West was not questioned extensively on was a piece that declares an unborn child is "from conception".
Laura Corbin told 2 News In-Vitro Fertilization, or IVF, is precisely how she was able to become a mom of two after years of trials and heartbreak.
She now leads an IVF support group for Tulsa women called "Infertile Myrtles".
Like the National Infertility Association, Corbin opposes the bill, calling its whole reasoning "willful ignorance to women" because she argues it would automatically deem all embryos in IVF facilities as a person, putting the whole process in question.
"By applying personhood, that can effectively outlaw what we are able to do to move forward with our families," Corbin said. "We're trying to bring forth life, and by the wording in this bill, that could inadvertently restrict IVF."
Corbin, who is also a physician's assistant, questions the lawmaker's medical knowledge and pleads with him to rescind much more of HB3216 before it goes before the full House.
"There is also no benefit to women for this," Corbin said.
"And frankly, to put women who have had an emergent medical abortion on a list to keep an eye on them, to make sure they don't do it again or to monitor your doctors, is frankly nothing more than a witch hunt."
2 News reached out via phone and email Thursday to Rep. West and communications staffers in the Oklahoma State House to get his perspective directly and to ask when he will update his bill, but did not hear back.
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