Progressive Oklahoma state lawmaker Forrest Bennett thought he’d found a way to own pro-lifers over the weekend. But instead he proved that he doesn’t understand what the pro-life movement is about. As a result he was the one who got owned.
On Saturday, one day after the 49th annual March for Life, the state House member tweeted out something he thought was clever and might even convert some pro-lifers into being pro-choice.
He believed that if he were to add responsibility into the equation, men who were pro-life might re-think their position.
“This week I filed HB3129, which codifies that a father’s financial responsibility to his baby & their mom begins at conception,” the self-described “pragmatic progressive” wrote.
“If Oklahoma is going to restrict a woman’s right to choose, we sure better make sure the man involved can’t just walk away from his responsibility.”
That didn’t get the response he’d intended.
Senior editor at The Dispatch David French replied, “I’m 100 percent for this. End abortion. Also, step up and take care of moms and kids.”
Briscoe Cain, another state representative, but one from Texas, agreed, adding that it only confirms a position that conservatives have long held.
“Great idea,” he wrote. “A child’s life begins at conception!”
During the 2008 presidential campaign, GOP nominee John McCain was asked at what point a child’s human rights begin. He replied “at the moment of conception.”
Conservative activist Kyle Kashuv, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland, Fla., mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, also thought Bennett had come up with a brilliant idea.
He posted a meme stating, “Your terms are acceptable.”
At age 20, Kashuv may not be old enough to drink alcoholic beverages in many states, but he’s mature enough to be aware of a father’s responsibilities. And one concept that may best describe the conservative movement is exactly that — personal responsibility.
Progressives like Bennett often try to find a way to deflect responsibility upon society. We saw that during the 2020 “Summer of Love” riots committed by Antifa and Black Lives Matter activists. The far-left blamed it all on society after the George Floyd killing.
Progressive congressional Democrats are now pushing for student loan forgiveness, claiming the loans are usurious and unfair. Yet no one put a gun to their head. They could have worked their way through college like students have done for generations.
Bennett is probably alarmed about how massive the pro-life movement has become. “Growing Pains” actor Kirk Cameron told Newsmax that even people in Hollywood are changing their opinion on abortion.
The March for Life is held in Washington, D.C. each year on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, which held that abortion is a federally-protected constitutional right.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, told Newsmax on Friday that she has long supported the March for Life, and each year many of her constituents join her at the event.
"I've had the opportunity to greet my constituents year after year, who come to Washington to March for Life and for me, as a new mom of my son, Sam, who is almost 5 months old,” she said on National Report.
"There is nothing more special, more extraordinary more of a miracle than life; and I agree that our first human right is the right to life, so I'm so proud of the outpouring of support and outpouring of people from all across this country.”
But Friday’s march may be the last — and for a good reason.
On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — a case testing the constitutionality of a new restrictive Mississippi abortion law.
Legal scholars and court observers believe Dobbs has every chance of overturning Roe. If it does, that wouldn’t make abortion illegal — it would only make it subject to state law, which is where it belongs.
And in that event, maybe Oklahoma Rep. Bennett will get his bill making expectant fathers financially responsible for their unborn children.
And that would be a good thing, too.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter who can often be found honing his skills at the range. Read Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.