Yesterday the Oklahoma legislature brought a bill to the floor that would make abortions illegal unless approved by the mother’s male sexual partner.
Representative Justin Humphrey, the author of the bill, said in an interview with the online news outlet The Intercept that a pregnant woman is merely the baby’s “host.” Humphrey explained, speaking of Oklahoma women, “I understand that they feel like that is their body. . . . [But] 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.”
Critics decried HB 1441 as unconstitutional. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar law.