Okla. Senate passes personhood measure

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The Oklahoma state Senate has approved a bill declaring personhood begins at conception, lawmakers said.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Brian Crain, a Tulsa Republican, was approved 34-8 Wednesday and now moves to the Oklahoma House, the Tulsa (Okla.) World reported.

The measure, requested by Oklahomans for Life, says an unborn child has "all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state."

Crain said the measure, which would not prohibit contraception or in vitro fertilization, is not a ban against abortion because the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision allows it.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association and the Oklahoma Coalition for Reproductive Justice are opposed to the measure, the newspaper said.