Oklahoma Republican Pushing Anti-Choice Bill Calls Women 'Hosts'

An Oklahoma lawmaker who has authored an extreme anti-abortion bill to be considered in the legislature Tuesday toldThe Intercept that a woman's body, once pregnant, is no longer hers--it is a "host."

"I feel like it is a separate--what I call them is, is 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," Rep. Justin Humphrey, a Republican, told reporter Jordan Smith on Monday.

"So that's where I'm at. I'm like, hey, your body is your body and be responsible with it," he said. "But after you're irresponsible then don't claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you're the host and you invited that in."

Humphrey's bill, HB 1441, would require a woman seeking an abortion to get written permission from her sexual partner. He told Smith that his original intent was to ensure that fathers pay child support, but that language has since been removed from the legislation.

Oklahoma has passed 20 regressive abortion bills since 2011--ranking second behind Louisiana for the number of anti-choice restrictions approved since Roe v. Wade in 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Another measure under consideration this week, HB 1559, would prevent women from aborting fetuses with genetic abnormalities.

"I believe one of the breakdowns in our society is that we have excluded the man out of all of these types of decisions," Humphrey said. "I understand that they feel like that is their body."

Amanda Allen, senior state legislative counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told Smith the bill was "certainly a new low for Oklahoma."

"This is, to my mind, a fruitless effort to shame and stigmatize women who are seeking abortion care and it is completely and unequivocally unconstitutional," Allen said.

The Oklahoma chapter of Planned Parenthood urged residents to call their representatives and urge them to vote against the bills which, the organization says, would create unnecessary burdens and may force women to "take desperate measures or seek out of state care."