Report: Mary Fallin has a spine (or at least something resembling a spine)
National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, center, speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, following a meeting between President Barack Obama and members of the NGA. From left are, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Fallin, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
It looks like Mary Fallin may be a vertebrate after all!
Last week, the Oklahoma legislature sent a bill to Mary Fallin that would make performing an abortion in Oklahoma a felony. When news trickled out, I figured here we go again – another extremist, unconstitutional anti-abortion law that will not only embarrass us on the national stage, but serve as a contrived distraction to the real problems facing this state, you know, important issues like a $1.3-billion budget crisis, drastic spending cuts to education, absurd tax policies, man-made earthquakes, and nut kicks from Draymond Green.
But then on Friday the unthinkable happened. Mary Fallin, the Governor who loves nothing more than pandering to the religious right, vetoed the bill! She announced the news in a press release that of course brags about her staunch record of being an abortion extremist:
Governor Mary Fallin, who has a long history of championing and signing pro-life and pro-family legislation, today vetoed a measure that would have banned abortion in the state because the bill was vague and would not withstand a criminal constitutional legal challenge.
Fallin is the most pro-life governor in the nation. She has signed 18 bills supporting pro-life values and protecting the health and lives of mothers and their unborn children.
Senate Bill 1552 would have made it a felony for physicians to perform abortions. It also contained a provision to revoke their medical licenses unless the abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother.
“The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘necessary to preserve the life of the mother,’” Fallin said.
“The absence of any definition, analysis or medical standard renders this exception vague, indefinite and vulnerable to subjective interpretation and application,” she wrote in her veto message.
“While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, this legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination,” Fallin wrote. “In fact, the most direct path to a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade is the appointment of a conservative, pro-life justice to the United States Supreme Court.”
Americans United for Life earlier this year named Oklahoma as the most pro-life state. Oklahoma was one of three states honored by the group for making significant pro-life progress; Oklahoma was selected for enacting legislation found in both the Infants’ Protection Project and Women’s Protection Project. For example, in 2015, Oklahoma, through legislation signed by Fallin, enhanced the potential penalties for violations of its abortion laws and enacted protections for minors considering abortions.
Yep, the Oklahoma Legislature is doing such an awful job that even the most Pro-Life governor in the nation vetoed their archaic anti-abortion law. In case you need a friendly reminder to vote every incumbent Derp out of office this November, there you go.
As a result of Mary Fallin showing a bit of spine in what was probably a calculated effort to appeal to the national base in the off-chance that Trump tabs her as a vice-presidential pick (a blogger can still dream right), she's now pissed off the Derplahoman wing of the Oklahoma legislature. They're considering whether or not they should try to override her veto.
Via NewsOK.com:
The Oklahoma Republican state senator who authored the bill that would effectively outlaw abortion in the state said Saturday that he hasn't decided whether he'll try to override the governor's veto.
"I have not made a decision," Sen. Nathan Dahm, of Broken Arrow, told The Associated Press. "That's what we're pursuing, what we'd like to see accomplished."
He said he'll decide during the coming week whether to pursue an attempt — the same week that the Legislature faces a deadline to adjourn while grappling with a $1.3 billion budget hole that could lead to cuts to public schools, health care and the state's overcrowded prison system. They've yet to be presented with a proposed state budget...
Dahm noted that it could be difficult for those who voted for the legislation to vote for an override.
"Sometimes people, even if they voted for the bill, are hesitant to vote to override the governor's veto because of their concern about the governor being petty and vindictive and vetoing some of their legislation," Dahm said.
One on a positive note, it looks like Mary's reputation as a petty, vindictive politician is finally working out for our state!
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens with all this. Although the stupidity of our state legislature never ceases to amaze me, I can't see them trying to override the veto of a governor as popular and likeable as Mary Fallin!
Yeah. Just kidding. Our state is facing some important issues that require solutions. Expect the distractions and embarrassments from our pathetic legislature to continue.
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