Pruitt Heralds Victories for Families

OKLAHOMA CITY - At a capitol news conference State Senator Scott Pruitt (R-Broken Arrow) celebrated "the most productive week for families" in recent legislative history. Pruitt made his comments following the advancement of two key pro-family measures he authored this session. The first victory comes with House passage of House Bill 1727, a bill containing Pruitt's amendment calling for parental notification prior to a minor receiving an abortion. Additional good news for families came on Monday when the House passed Senate Bill 46, authored by Pruitt, and sent it to the Governor for approval.

House Bill 1727 - Parental Notification
Pruitt's amendment, attached to HB 1727, says that any medical provider performing an abortion on a minor without parental consent shall be liable for the cost of any subsequent treatment because of the abortion. Legislative leaders have placed HB 1727 on today's House agenda.

"I am confident that my colleagues in the House will approve this measure with my amendment intact," said Pruitt.

Pruitt, the Republican Whip, called the vote a major victory for Oklahoma families. "At the beginning of session I noted how our priorities are off when we place more emphasis on parental input when a child goes to a movie than when that child goes to the abortion clinic," said Pruitt. "We just sent the message that parents should be involved in their children's lives."

After this week's vote HB 1727 will head to the Governor for approval.

Senate Bill 46 - Deeming Violent and Sexual Video Games Harmful to Minors
Calling it the first great step to stemming the flow of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, Pruitt commended his House and Senate colleagues for Monday's final passage of SB 46, a bill he authored this session.

Pruitt's bill amends the statute which lists items deemed harmful to minors to include video games and computer software. Under his bill, these video games take on the same status as pornographic videos and magazines.

"In a time when sexual predators and purveyors of violence have infiltrated our schools, it is imperative that we address the factors that influence the behavior of our children," said Pruitt. "With the widespread availability of these explicit materials, we need to do everything we can to keep them from reaching our children."

Currently, the "harmful to minors" statute only deals with sexually explicit materials. However, Senator Pruitt believes that violent media will soon be added to the list.

"It's no secret that viewing sexually explicit and violent entertainment can lead to increased aggression and desensitivity, particularly in children. The effects can be increasingly disturbing when you consider the research that indicates prolonged viewing of sexually charged material often leads to increased violence against women. We have to keep this type of influence away from our children now," said Pruitt.

Senate Bill 46 is on the Governor's desk for final approval.