Okla. lawmaker backs off bill making fathers financially responsible at conception

UPDATE: This lawmaker says via Twitter that he's "not moving forward with this bill as written."

He’s tweeted: “Let me get this out of the way: obviously I’m not moving forward with this bill as written. I’m glad many of you understood the idea but it clearly needs work. So to actual constituents of mine like @realmartypeercy who requested that I go back to the drawing board, I hear you.”

In a lengthy Twitter thread, Bennett added: “I’ll own this: I should’ve been more thoughtful & thorough in crafting this bill in the first place. It’s clear there are many unintended consequences, both from the language & design.”

The original story is below, as well as the full Twitter thread.

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TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — An Oklahoma lawmaker is filing a bill that would declare a biological father's financial responsibility to his child and its mother begins at conception.

Rep. Forrest Bennet, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, announced he filed House Bill 3129 last week on Twitter in response to the push to restrict abortion rights in the state.

"This week I filed HB3129, which codifies that a father's financial responsibility to his baby & their mom begins at conception. If Oklahoma is going to restrict a woman's right to choose, we sure better make sure the man involved can't just walk away from his responsibility," Rep. Bennet's tweet read.

Last year, Oklahoma passed five laws restricting abortions; three of those were blocked by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

This legislative session, there will be more bills intending to restrict abortions, including one that would make abortions a felony with doctors facing imprisonment or a fine for performing them.

HB3129 will be available for consideration in the upcoming legislative session on Feb. 7.