" The Oklahoma House's Public Health Committee voted 7-4 for the Senate-passed measure Tuesday and sent it to the full House. "

" The arguments against this misguided proposal are multiplying as quickly as embryonic cells divide. But lawmakers have painted themselves into a political corner: If they vote against the bill, they risk the ire of a certain segment of voters.

" But there is still a way for lawmakers to do the right thing. In fact, there are several possibilities. They can see to it that the bill languishes in the legislative process or they could send a similar measure to the people for a vote. Experience in other states suggests the people have more common sense on such subjects than many of their leaders. "

" The protesters donned aprons and took off their shoes to illustrate their contention that the declaration would be a throwback to when women had few reproductive or career choices.

" "Women brought you in 2 the world," read one sign. "Women will vote you out of this Legislature."

" "Forcing your agenda between my legs is rape," another sign said.

" Yet another sign - which Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa, held up - said: "If I wanted the government in my womb I'd f--- a senator." "

" Protesters placed pairs of shoes on the north steps of the state Capitol on Tuesday in protest against a bill that would grant “personhood” to fertilized human eggs.

" The act of walking away barefoot was intended to show that legislators who support the bill want Oklahoma women to be barefoot and pregnant. The empty shoes left on the steps symbolized women injured or killed by politicized women’s health care, said organizer Heather Hall. "

" A handful of physicians joined the head of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma on Wednesday to announce their support of the Personhood Act. The bill by Tulsa Republican Brian Crain states that life begins at conception and that human embryos have "all the rights, privileges, and immunities" available to other citizens of the state. "

" Officials with Personhood Oklahoma now have 90 days to gather signatures from about 155,000 registered Oklahoma voters. If successful, they hope to have a question on the state ballot in November that defines a human being “from the beginning of the biological development of that human being to natural death.” "

" For the last two weeks, supporters from Resolve: The National Infertility Association, an advocacy organization for people struggling with infertility, waged an ambitious lobbying campaign that tried to explain to Virginia lawmakers why the bill was anti-family to them. "

" The Oklahoma Senate last week passed a bill, 34-8, that states life begins at “conception,” which is broadly defined as the moment a sperm fertilizes an egg. "

" Medical professionals and former infertility patients lined up Friday to oppose two measures that would declare personhood at conception, saying they would create a host of problems. "

" Kansas joined an exclusive club when it became only the second state to ban late-term abortions because of fetal pain.

" But not for long. The Idaho governor signed a similar bill Thursday, and more like it are advancing in Oklahoma and a dozen other states. "

" The Senate approved House Bill 1888, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would require abortion practitioners to determine the age of an unborn child prior to an abortion and would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks — a clear point in science when unborn children have the ability to feel intense pain. The 94-2 House vote came without any questions from lawmakers to debate on the topic. "

" Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted for the measure 6-1, making it so abortion practitioners who violate the fetal pain-based abortion ban by doing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy would face felony charges. "

" House Bill 1442 would make it a misdemeanor to conduct embryonic stem cell research and also would prohibit the buying, selling or transferring of embryos for research.

" As would be expected, the majority voting for the stem cell research ban ignored the scientific aspects of the issue and instead focused on the surefire political aspect. "

" The bill’s sponsor, Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, said Thursday that life begins at conception and any lawmaker who claims to be pro-life should support the proposal.

" “Don’t let that embryo be relegated to just some material that can be used for experimentation,” Faught said after reading several passages from the Bible.

" Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, said she resented the fact that the basic right to life was being substituted for economic development.

" “Now we have this utilitarian ethic of life,” she said. “That life is worth something to somebody else dead or experimented upon, then that now is more valuable to society. That is a very sad state we are in.

" Democratic Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, of Tulsa, opposed the measure and said embryonic stem cell research could help find a cure for cancer and diseases such as multiple sclerosis. She said the restrictions would leave the impression that Oklahoma is not open to taking part in groundbreaking research.

" “Why put roadblocks up? We need to tell scientists we are open for business,” she said. "

" Socially conservative Republicans were unhappy with the House version of immigration reform and GOP leadership's opposition to open carry gun laws, but were placated somewhat by the passage of right-to-life legislation banning embryonic stem cell research, furthering restrictions on abortion and declaring that life begins at the moment of fertilization.

" Conservative Christians were unable to advance legislation questioning evolution and promoting the Biblical version of creation, but were successful in promoting the embryonic stem cell research ban. The measure's author, Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, based his argument for the bill on Scripture frequently cited by pro-life advocates. "

" Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, said she resented the fact that the basic right to life was being substituted for economic development.

" "Now we have this utilitarian ethic of life," she said. "That life is worth something to somebody else dead or experimented upon, then that now is more valuable to society. That is a very sad state we are in.

" Democratic Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, of Tulsa, opposed the measure and said embryonic stem cell research could help find a cure for cancer and diseases such as multiple sclerosis. She said the restrictions would leave the impression that Oklahoma is not open to taking part in groundbreaking research.

" "Why put roadblocks up? We need to tell scientists we are open for business," she said.

" The Legislature passed a similar bill in 2009, but it was vetoed by then-Democratic Gov. Brad Henry. He said then the measure was mischaracterized and would prohibit research that could potentially save lives. The House voted to override Henry's veto, but the Senate did not. "

" The bill passed 86-8 Thursday and now heads to the Senate. The measure by Rep. George Faught of Muskogee makes it a misdemeanor crime to conduct destructive research on a human embryo or to sell, receive or transfer a human embryo knowing it would be subject to destructive research.

" Lawmakers who support the bill say they are protecting the lives of unborn children. Many of the representatives who spoke in favor in the bill said they do support adult stem cell research.

" Opponents of the bill said it closes the door to research that could potentially lead to cures for a variety of diseases. "

" A House panel narrowly voted Tuesday to approve a measure that would make it a crime to perform any form of embryonic stem cell research. The same committee also approved a measure that would make it illegal to perform an abortion on an unborn child who is 20 or more weeks of age. "

" The House overwhelmingly approved the bill, House Bill 1888, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would require abortion practitioners to determine the age of an unborn child prior to an abortion and would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks — a clear point in science when unborn children have the ability to feel intense pain. The 94-2 vote came without any questions from lawmakers to debate on the topic. "

" The House voted 6-5 Tuesday to send the measure to the House floor. The bill's author, Rep. George Faught of Muskogee, says it makes it illegal to perform destructive research on a human embryo and to buy or sell an embryo knowing it will be subjected to destructive research. ... But Rep. Doug Cox of Grove, a physician, says embryonic stem cell research is not conducted in Oklahoma. "