Oklahoma Republican State Senator Dusty Deevers proposed a number of bills this week meant to abolish abortion, repeal no-fault divorce, and ban pornography, as well as introduce a crackdown on false testimony with respect to crimes, reform election laws, eliminate state income taxes, provide a grocery tax rebate, and create electronic access for transactional gold.
Deevers, a minister at Grace Reformed Baptist Church in southwestern Oklahoma who attracted nationwide attention after his first campaign advertisement went viral on social media, had promised to introduce an aggressive socially conservative platform inspired by biblical standards of justice upon his election to the Oklahoma State Senate. He said in a statement to The Sentinel that the newly filed bills reflect how he “would do what I said I would do.”
“Because they voted me into office, I, as their servant, filed the bills that represented many of the reasons they elected me,” he remarked. “It is my honor to represent their voice as calling for the elimination of the income tax, abolition of abortion, ban of pornography, repeal of no-fault divorce, criminal justice reform, improving our financial situation, and improving election integrity. It is my prayer that as we enter the next phase of hearing and debating the merits of the bills that the voice of southwest Oklahoma will be heard, that I will serve and honor my Lord, the Oklahoma Constitution, and the United States Constitution as I stand accountable to them.”
The abortion abolition bill seeks to acknowledge the “sanctity of innocent human life created in the image of God” by ensuring that all citizens are granted equal protection under the law. The legislation would establish that homicide provisions apply for preborn children in the same way they apply “when the victim is a person who had been born alive,” as well as remove all provisions in existing statutes which say that “under no circumstances shall the mother of the unborn child be prosecuted for causing the death of the unborn child.” Laws enacted by pro-life organizations in several conservative states purport to ban abortion but likewise forbid officials from prosecuting mothers even if they willfully murder their preborn children.
Deevers had also vowed to reform divorce laws by restricting the acceptable causes for legally ending a marriage to adultery, abuse, and abandonment. The bill he filed removes “incompatibility” unrelated to the three categories as a valid cause for divorce.
“When a man leaves his father and mother, and he and his wife become one flesh, that is the foundation of a strong nation and civilization,” he wrote in a recent opinion piece about the necessity of reforming divorce laws. “Governing for the common good is the charge of all sitting in public office. It is abundantly clear that the current regime of no-fault divorce has torn down the castles that uphold the strength of the realm. We must do away with this policy for the justice of the oppressed, the strength of the nation, and the future of humanity.”
The measure to ban pornography would define “unlawful pornography” as content depicting “sexual intercourse which is normal or perverted” and may not be “distributed within the state if they lack serious literary, artistic, educational, political, or scientific purposes or value.” Deevers told The Sentinel that he plans to make amendments on the bill to finalize penalties for viewership and distribution.
Deevers likewise introduced a bill that would penalize those who make a “false report” accusing a person of a crime with the same penalty associated with the crime in their false report. Another measure would direct courts to “prioritize an order for payments of restitution to the victim to the extent feasible” for those who commit crimes not resulting in a death sentence.
Beyond the socially conservative policy platform, Deevers introduced legislation that would implement more stringent voter registration laws which require signing an oath testifying to legal residence; completely eliminate state income taxes for individuals, married couples filing jointly, and corporations; direct the state treasurer to establish electronic access for transactional gold either in the Texas depository or a newly created Oklahoma depository; and create a monthly rebate on grocery taxes for both individuals and households.
He also proposed a resolution condemning United States Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, for negotiating with Democratic colleagues on a deal allowing for some degree of illegal immigration and issuance of work permits to those who cross the border illegally.
Deevers won the Republican nomination for his seat in a competitive four-way primary and defeated his Democratic opponent in a special election held last month. “Our team took a no-compromise stance against the greatest evils of our day and for the freedom and liberty of the people,” he said in a statement after his election. “We defeated some big-money, establishment interests on a shoestring budget. It truly is of God that we won.”
