By Journalist Alondra Perez
Representative Odom (ECU) fostered his idea for the bill upon listening to the song Gold Digger by Kanye West. Bill ECU-503 is an act relating to establishing paternity via paternity tests. Representative Odom recognizes that the question of parentry is a real issue for individuals around America and specifically to Oklahoma. He describes a scenario where an individual could be raising someone else’s biological child unknowingly until one day they do a 23 and me. Representative Odom (ECU) acknowledges that different racial groups are pre exposed to different health conditions later in life and that when a child begins to display health issues but there is nothing in the family’s health history that resembles it can result in fatal circumstances.
This bill created a Caucasus-bearing atmosphere. Representatives feel a wide range of mixed emotions toward this bill. During an intense conversation among individuals, Representative Donaldson (NWOSU) stepped away to inform me of their thought process for rejecting the content of this bill. Rep. Donaldson prefaced that they understood that the bill was very well-intentioned. Ultimately, Rep. Donaldson noted that their time for a question with the author left them with the solidified vote to not pass the bill, “I have concerns on funding because it is hard to get insurance to pay for vital producers that can save a person life and I don’t think they will pay for every test for every individual in the state of Oklahoma”. Other concerns from the opponency consisted of questions such as what will the state do with the DNA information when it is no longer needed for the question of paternity. Finally, Representative Donaldson reiterated, “Will be voting no because a better use of this intention would be better used when determining paternity at the point of someone seeking child support.”.
On the other hand, there were individuals who felt that the intent of the bill was not only agreeable but that the bill, once amended, was appropriate enough to vote in favor of the bill.
Specifically, I voted yes because it gives legal remedy without giving punishment. If an individual were to sue it would give them more of a provision to request a DNA test and give them legal standing in a courtroom. Additionally, I amended all the language in the bill to be gender-neutral because it is not only women that can have children with nonbinary, intersex, and transgendered men. Any individual to give birth and any individual that is able to inseminate. “It is our job to be inclusive to the people in which we serve,” Rep. Mcpherson.