Personhood Bill goes before House

Photo by: Nick Conley

 

Following the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this week, a bill reading nearly identical to one Oklahoma’s legislature attempted to pass last year is once again on the floor. This bill, known as The Personhood Act of 2013 or House Bill 1029 (HB 1029), states that a human life begins at the moment of conception.

“It seems to me that what the legislation is attempting to do is to get a definition that will help to further legislation that will prevent all abortion,”  Professor of New Testament and Ministry John Harrison said.

The same bill that was in question last year failed; however, Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Reynolds chose to write a new bill.

“I think that the bill [was written] to prevent something that the author sees as an abomination or immoral or as a violation to God’s sovereignty to life,” Harrison said. “While those are all good intentions and the bill may get some support, I think it will end up in failure.”

Reynolds may have political reasons alongside his moral beliefs to write and attempt to pass HB 1029.

“[Reynolds] probably has people who have strong convictions about abortions, and they want to see bills that can somehow or another chip away at the right of a mother to end a life, so they are trying to find a way to end it in the state,” Harrison said. “Even though the bill is defeated, the mere effort is applauded.”

According to Tulsa World, although the bill is attempting to end abortion rights for women, it might end up having more of an impact on scientific research involving embryos.

“That research could have side effects for the embryo,” sophomore Emma Axtell said. “I believe life begins at conception, and so I don’t think it is okay to perform experiments on embryos that could hurt them.”

It is unclear as to what changes would come to fertility and abortion clinics if the bill passes.

“The Bible doesn’t define personhood. People try to turn to the Bible and take those scriptures out of context in order to define a certain part of personhood,” Harrison said. “We should probably be suspicious or be cautious about lifting a particular passage and then investing in that passage.”

Harrison, chair of the Graduate School of Bible, said the issue of abortion might be more complicated than it appears.

“I believe that the life that is in a mother’s womb should be dedicated to the glory of God, and that women who are carrying a child that they don’t want should give that child to God in the sense of going ahead and having the child,” Harrison said. “However, if the life of the child is a threat to the mother’s life, I can see where a woman has the right to end a life that might threaten her own.”

Many Oklahoma Christian University students weighed in on the issue with their own opinions concerning abortion.

“At conception, something distinctly different is created, and I believe God has a plan for each and every one of those lives,” Axtell said, “I support the bill, but I don’t think that it would or ever will stand up in our society.”

Axtell also gave her thoughts on why abortion is such a large issue in today’s society.

“I think it is such a big controversy because it can stand between what we know is right, which would be not choosing abortion, and what is easy, which is choosing to have an abortion,” Axtell said.

Other students held opinions similar to Axtell’s.

“Abortion is such a large topic of interest because it is just an easy way to not have kids if you don’t want them,” freshman Elizabeth Maher said. “Many people don’t see it as killing, but I think it is.”

Maher agrees with the bill on when a life begins.

“I believe life begins when the sperm and egg combine to form one cell. That one cell is living and multiplies into more cells to, over time, create the child,” Maher said.

Some students held slightly differing opinions.

“I think that there are some reasons for an abortion,” sophomore Ethan Hershey said. “If a woman was raped, or she was going to die because of the child, go right ahead. But if the woman just doesn’t want to go through a pregnancy, that’s when it is wrong.”

This bill will be debated in the House session commencing on Feb. 4.