OKLAHOMA CITY — A threat was made by a state lawmaker, saying if he were not Christian he would light himself on fire.
The words came after a proposed bill that would give a raise to Supreme Court justices.
Representative Calvey says, if given the chance, he’d say it all over again.
He wanted to make it clear; his problem is with the Supreme Court justices who, he says, are not doing enough to prevent Oklahoma women from getting abortions.
“If I were not a Christian, and didn’t have a prohibition against suicide, I’d walk across the street and douse myself in gasoline and set myself on fire!” Rep. Kevin Calvey said during a heated debate at the Capitol.
He watched the video at the KFOR newsroom for the first time.
“To protest the evil that is going on over there, killing, giving the death penalty, to the will of the people and the will of this body and protecting the least among us,” Calvey continued during the debate.
The debate was sparked about SB 548 that would give a raise to supreme court justices.
When asked if he regretted those words, Calvey said “No, not one bit, I think that I’m hopeful to draw attention to this serious issue.”
“The problem is, our state Supreme Court has killed every law going before it that is designed to protect women and babies from the predatory abortion industry,” Calvey said.
Authors of the SB 548 say it’s not a pro-life or pro-choice issue.
“I personally do not connect this bill the way he did, and made this that we punish the justices because of a ruling they made,” Rep. Earl Sears, co-author of SB 548, says.
But Calvey’s connection to the rulings run deep.
“I’m more passionate about it because I’m aware of situation where a number of years ago, a woman did go to Dr. Patel’s clinic and they were advised to have an abortion,” Calvey said.
He told NewsChannel 4 that woman left without aborting.
“She gave birth to a little baby girl, and that baby girl was given to a loving adopting couple, and that little baby girl is now my wife,” Calvey says.
The video still makes some question the way he said it.
“I just personally would not have used those words, but on the same token, it doesn’t surprise me and it doesn’t offend me,” Sears said.
Rep. Calvey says he did not mean to offend anyone or incite violence.
