Oklahoma Legislative Preview: Action Needed
Dear Parental Rights Oklahoma Supporter,
It’s hard to believe that Oklahoma’s Legislative session 2017 will begin in a little over two weeks, but it is upon us and there are several pieces of legislation being introduced that are particularly concerning to us at Parentalrights.org.
Concerning Bills
The first bill I want to bring to your attention is SB83 by Senator Yen. SB83 removes both the religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations. The bill would require a medical exemption from your doctor if you do not want to have your child given any one of the 69 “required” vaccines.
Whether you vaccinate your child or not you should be concerned with this statist legislation. If the state can force a medical procedure against a parent’s wishes, the medical principle of “informed consent” is violated and a child is left to the whims of the government. This bill is a MUST STOP!!
Of course, this topic deserves much more information than is given here. So, if you would like to know more, I will be posting information on our web site at www.okpbr.org or our Facebook page Parental Rights Oklahoma.
Another bill that will need our attention is SB93 by Senator Smalley. SB93 amends Title 10A OK Juvenile Justice Code and would allow a judge to examine the religious beliefs and practices of the parent, legal guardian, or custodian when determining the appropriate conditions for the release of a child in Department of Human Services (DHS) custody. We are concerned that if a judge did not approve of the religious beliefs of the parent, he could set conditions on the return of the children that would violate the family’s convictions.
SB 93 would also impose a new requirement when a child was removed by DHS and was in need of medical treatment. If the parent, legal guardian, or custodian in such a case “depends upon spiritual means alone, in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination, for the treatment, cure of disease or remedial care of such child,” then the court would be required by law to appoint a guardian for the child.
If the bill passes, it will be the first time in Oklahoma history that judges would be granted this level of authority to rule over a parent’s religious beliefs.
There are certainly other bills that will require our attention in 2017, but these are particularly worrisome. They will require significant effort on our part to ensure that they are defeated so Oklahoma continues to protect the rights of parents.
Action Needed
And that brings me to the reason I am writing this email: I NEED YOUR HELP!
Parental rights are under a coordinated and concerted attack this year and PRO needs volunteers to help us fight against bills like these. If you are interested in helping with lobbying, social media, or with our website, please contact me at parentalrights.ok@gmail.com.
I will be at the Capitol each week, and would be happy to train any volunteers that would like to learn how to become a citizen lobbyist. Let’s just say, if I can do it anyone can! It is one of the most impactful ways that a citizen can participate in their government.
If you would rather work behind the scenes, then consider helping us with social media or the website. They are very important in today’s culture. Social media is a powerful tool to educate and inform our supporters, but it requires a bit of work to maintain the messaging needed to be successful. We can use more than one person for each of these jobs; if several step up to help there will not be much work for any one person to do.
Please do not assume that someone else will volunteer. If you think you can help, please volunteer today.
I look forward to hearing from each of you soon,
Thank you,
Tracey Montgomery
Oklahoma State Coordinator