OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma Home member got here beneath hearth Wednesday for making a remark some are calling racially insensitive, evaluating abortion and slavery.
Rep. Jim Olsen was introducing his invoice, SB 612, which might abolish abortion by making it a felony for docs to carry out the surgical procedure, to the Home Public Well being Committee.
In his argument, he in contrast the combat to abolish abortion to an extended push to abolish slavery by one man in Nice Britain.
“If we consider that these are actually dwelling human beings within the womb of a lady, then that is completely price doing, even when it takes a very long time,” Olsen mentioned.
However the message was a miss for some within the room, significantly Rep. Ajay Pittman.
“Simply to make clear what you simply mentioned, you’re saying saving the lives of slaves or saving the lives of an unborn youngster is extra vital than saving the lives of slaves?” Pittman requested in Committee.
“The context that I used to be addressing that, none of us wish to be killed. None of us wish to be a slave. If I had my selection, I suppose I’d be a slave. No less than the slave has his life. As soon as your life is gone, it’s gone,” Olsen responded.
“That’s triggering. That’s traumatizing. That’s hurtful,” Pittman informed KFOR afterward. “It’s fully insensitive to what we needed to do to get right here and what we’ve got to do every and on a regular basis to combat for our constituents that appear to be us within the state of Oklahoma.”
Later, Olsen doubled down on his remarks, insisting they have been under no circumstances an endorsement of slavery.
“Within the context of historical past basically, I did evaluate one evil to a different and really frankly I make no apology for it,” Olsen mentioned.
In the meantime, Pittman mentioned that is simply one other indication that Oklahomans, even these main us, want higher coaching in relation to racial and cultural sensitivity.
“You may have each proper to current this invoice and to articulate why you might be in assist of your coverage, however when our colleagues are so culturally insensitive to members of their physique, members of the committee, that they’d not suppose twice to check abortion to slavery or to check a child not being born, an unborn youngster to a slave, that’s disheartening and that claims that we’re persevering with to maneuver backwards within the state of Oklahoma,” Pittman mentioned.
The invoice handed by committee by a vote of 8 to 1. There would have been another vote towards if Pittman had not walked out of the room after the alternate with Olsen.
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