Eastern Oklahoma Catholic May 2012 : Page 10
Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans For Life. In response to these claims, Crain said, “This is the same language word for word that Missouri has operated under for 23 years. Because of that, there are no unin-tended consequences … We know how it is going to be interpreted. We know how it is going to be administered. We are not going to have fertility specialists run out of the state. We are not going to have birth control no longer available to women who want it. What we are going to do is have IVF available in Oklahoma. We are going to be as protective of the woman as we are of the unborn child.” While the Catholic Church is opposed to reproductive measures such as IVF and artificial birth control, it has not sought to impose or enforce its morality through the instrument of the state. Rather, the Church desires the redemption and salvation of the human person through Christ and His sacramental ministry realized in the Mass. Through this grace of Christ, the person is transformed into His image and able to re-alize the fullness of life that comes through obedience to the truth, which includes both respect for all life and appropriate expressions of human sexuality. Moreover, the Church also proclaims the intrinsic worth of every human person created in the image of God, regardless of age, race, religion, development or capacity. The Per-sonhood Act promotes that teaching. “There is great educational value in the law,” explained Tony Lauinger, the state chairman of Oklahomans For Life. “We believe that the educational value of Sen-ate Bill 1433 will help Oklahomans be more receptive to the unborn child; to be more cognizant of the fact that human life begins at conception; to be more accept-ing of the child in the womb as a living member of our human family. We think the bill will help people give the benefit of the doubt to life.” Mr. Lauinger has been active in the pro-life movement since 1973, the year of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision made on-demand abortion legal in the United States. He helped found Tulsans For Life in 1973 and, since 1978, Mr. Lauinger has been actively promoting the pro-life cause at the State Capitol by advocating legislation that protects the unborn and working with elected representatives to safeguard human life from its conception. Mr. Lauinger and his wife, Phyllis, are long time members of St. Mary’s Parish, where they raised their eight children. When R oe v. Wade legalized abortion, he felt called to work to reverse it. His respect for the sanctity of life continues to compel him to engage in this battle against what Blessed Pope John Paul II coined “The Culture of Death.” His 39 years of experience working on behalf of the pro-life movement at the Capi-tol have not always been easy. During this time, many legislators in key positions were in favor of abortion rights, which made it difficult to advance the defense of life. Still, he remained steadfast, always committed to protecting the unborn. Then, in 2005, Brian Crain was elected to the Senate. “I always considered myself a pro-life individual. When I came to the Leg-islature in 2005, I let Oklahomans For Life know that I would be supportive. And I am positive that I have voted for every bill spon-sored by Oklahomans For Life,” he said. “I am a firm believer in the right to life. I am a supporter of the pro-life movement,” declared Crain, a member of First Baptist Church in Tulsa. Crain now serves as the chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee. Unfortunately, his predecessor served for 20 years in that position and was a staunch de-10 Eastern Oklahoma Catholic / May 2012 / www. dioceseoftulsa .org
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