Oklahoma lawmaker walks back on bill regarding father responsibility
In two weeks from Monday, lawmakers will return to the state Capitol to kick-off the new session.
In two weeks from Monday, lawmakers will return to the state Capitol to kick-off the new session.
In two weeks from Monday, lawmakers will return to the state Capitol to kick-off the new session.
An Oklahoma lawmaker is walking back on his proposed bill regarding father responsibility.
In two weeks from Monday, lawmakers will return to the state Capitol to kick off the new session. Thousands of bills could be up for consideration, but one received so much feedback online that the lawmaker who created it is going back to the drawing board.
Rep. Forrest Bennett of Oklahoma City posted that he wanted to introduce a bill that holds fathers financially responsible for the baby starting at conception.
In a tweet, Bennett said, "If Oklahoma is going to restrict a woman’s right to choose, we better make sure the man involved can’t just walk away from his responsibility."
Since his original tweet, Bennett said he should’ve been more thoughtful in how the bill was crafted. Bennett said that there were unintended consequences.
"This came from a conversation with a friend of mine. The first time she got pregnant, she found out that the baby was going to be special needs child. She didn't walk away from her pregnancy, but her partner did. It always stuck with me that she said, I wasn't able to walk away from this, but he was," Bennett said.
Now, Bennett said he will not move forward with the bill as it’s written, but he is bringing the issue to the forefront.
He said that he has started important conversations and has heard from colleagues on both sides of the aisle who would like to work on the issue.