State lawmaker: GOP attacking women's rights

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Constance Johnson. (Photo provided)

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May 8, 2012

State lawmaker: GOP attacking women's rights

By Ken Miller Associated Press Wed May 09, 2012, 12:48 AM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY — A Democratic state senator said Tuesday the election of Oklahoma’s first female governor hadn’t stopped what she called a Republican assault on the rights of women with proposals such as the now-defeated “personhood” bill and a ballot proposal asking voters to wipe out affirmative action programs.

The personhood bill would have granted fertilized human eggs in the rights and privileges of Oklahoma residents. The anti-abortion bill died in the state House after passing the Senate earlier this year.

“What’s going on is insulting to women,” said Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma City. “And to suggest that’s not an assault on women is adding insult to injury.”

Johnson said during a news conference she had hoped for better when Republican Gov. Mary Fallin was elected in 2010.

“I was looking forward to her being more characteristically nurturing and things that women bring to the table in terms of relationships and understanding needs and we’ve not seen that,” Johnson said.

“We’ve seen a governor who, pretty much is ... she’s one of the good old boys,” she added.

A spokesman for Fallin did not immediately respond to a phone call and email for comment.

Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Matt Pinnell called the comments a “tired Democratic talking point to distract us from the real issue” of creating jobs.

“We are certainly sensitive to, and feel like need to be working on, policies that can get more women out of poverty and get more women back into the workforce and empowering women to be successful in America today,” Pinnell said.

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Wallace Collins also expressed concern about what he considers an anti-woman agenda, pointing to a bill that would exempt out-of-state insurance companies from certain aspects of health coverage required by state law, such as mammograms, pelvic exams and cervical cancer screenings. The bill is now in a joint House-Senate conference committee.

“We had to force insurance companies to cover these things,” Collins said. “Senate Bill 1059 would take back all these gains that we have made” in expanding coverage.

The Senate author of the bill, Sen. Bill Brown, R-Broken Arrow, also did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Pinnell said it’s Democratic policies that are hurting women.

“You have women who can’t find jobs today because of the economy, because of the policies and the strangling regulations at the federal level,” he said.

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