Bill Increases Penalties for Repeat Child Molesters

Today, the House passed HB 2965, by Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs), which increases penalties for repeat child molesters, including the possibility of life without parole or death.

Under current law, a child molester can face a sentence of 25 years to life for a first offense. Duncan’s legislation will increase the penalty to include a maximum sentence of life without parole.

His legislation will also allow the death penalty to be considered for those convicted of a second or subsequent offense. That provision has been crafted to comply with recent court rulings.

The legislation will also eliminate the "homeless defense" as an excuse for not registering as a sex offender and allow those convicted of failure to register to receive a 20-year prison sentence.

Catch Dr. Peter Jones' Lecture Post Lecture!

If you missed last Thursday's Webcast of Dr. Peter Jones' lecure on "How the Early Christians of Rome Defeated Pagan Sexuality" don't despair. Yes, you can still catch his lecture by visiting FRC's Website.

Click here to access the site, where you can download Dr. Jones' lecture as an mp3 file. You might want to save the file for future reference.

State House to Debate 2 Pro-Life Bills Today

This afternnon (March 1), the state House of Representatives will debate and vote on two pro-life bills, HB 2780 and HB 3110.

HB 2780, by Rep. Lisa J. Billy, would require that all women seeking abortions in Oklahoma be provided with an ultrasound, prior to any abortion. The woman would NOT be required to look at the ultrasound images of her unborn child, but the ultrasound would be required to be performed.

HB 3110, by Rep. Pam Peterson, would create the Freedom of Conscience Act, and would allow certain medical professionals from being required to perform abortions or provide abortifacients as a condition of their employment.

Both of these bills have been passed into law in prior years, but are being resubmitted in light of recent rulings by Oklahoma County judges, as respects the constitutionality of how the legislation was approved in violation of the single-subject rule.

Another bill, HB 3077, by Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, is NOT on today's agenda, but is expected to be put on the calendar in the coming days. Her bill would prevent women from selling their eggs in Oklahoma, thus creating a marketplace for human eggs in violation of moral and bioethics concerns.