Oklahoma Dem’s Twitter Fail Shows Liberals Have Been Watching Too Much ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
An Oklahoma lawmaker apologized to outraged fellow Democrats Saturday for introducing a satirical bill that ended up being celebrated by the “pro-life” advocates it was meant to ridicule.
SO WHAT
Liberals should remember “The Handmaid’s Tale” is just a TV show.
WHAT HAPPENED
Responding to Republicans’ recent efforts to curb abortion in Oklahoma, state Rep. Forrest Bennett revealed Friday that he had filed a bill codifying “that a father’s financial responsibility to his baby & their mom begins at conception.”
This week I filed HB3129, which codifies that a father’s financial responsibility to his baby & their mom begins at conception.
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.
— Forrest Bennett (@ForrestBennett) January 21, 2022
House Bill 3129 would make a biological father responsible for pregnancy-related expenses, including health insurance premiums and medical costs, incurred after the date of conception.
- “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,” Bennett tweeted Friday.
THE BACKLASH
Bennett’s tweet sparked backlash from fellow “pro-choice” advocates on Twitter, many of whom accused him of unwittingly affirming the “pro-life” argument.
- Nicole McAfee, the head of an Oklahoma-based LGBT rights organization, warned it was “dangerous to codify more gendered language around pregnancy, even in an attempt to make a point.”
- Another Twitter commenter rejected an implied premise of Bennett’s bill, saying: “Life doesn’t begin at conception.”
- “As a person who can get pregnant I would prefer aggressive legislation that shifts the paradigm completely to secure my reproductive freedom,” someone else replied.
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
A flood of “pro-life” advocates responded to Bennett by saying they had no problem with his bill, and in fact celebrated its message.
Great move! Let's pass these bills in all 50 states. https://t.co/8j3ZAgvmpQ
— Fr Matthew P. Schneider LC 🙏 (@FrMatthewLC) January 22, 2022
Nathan Dahm, a Republican state senator, even offered to co-sign the bill.
- “Never met an actual pro life person have you?” tweeted Club for Growth senior analyst Andrew Follett.
THE AFTERMATH
On Saturday, Bennett tweeted an apology, saying the language in his message and bill “both hurt the cause instead of helping it.”
I understand how the language in my message and bill both hurt the cause instead of helping it, and I apologize for not being more thoughtful. Thanks again to everyone who genuinely engaged with me in an effort to make better policy.
— Forrest Bennett (@ForrestBennett) January 22, 2022