<p>OKLAHOMA CITY — A Republican Oklahoma House member apologized to his colleagues on Tuesday for using a racist term to describe Black babies during a debate on the House floor.</p>
<p>Rep. Brad Boles, 37, a Republican from Marlow, used the term “colored” to describe Black babies during debate on an anti-abortion bill, while suggesting that abortion affects people of all races.</p>
<p>Boles later took a moment of personal privilege to apologize to his colleagues.</p>
<p>“We were debating a passionate bill, and through the slip of a tongue, I said a word that was not what it was intended to be,” Boles said. “And so I apologize to any members of the House or who listened online. I had a chance to talk to some of my colleagues and offer my personal apologies. I’m truly sorry. That wasn’t my intent at all.”</p>
<p>John Estus, a spokesman for House Speaker Charles McCall, said he hadn’t discussed the issue with the Republican leader and didn’t know if Boles would face disciplinary action for the remark.</p>
<p>Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Alicia Andrews, who had called for Boles to publicly apologize, said she was disturbed that he would use the term at all.</p>
<p>“The term colored doesn’t just fall out of your mouth by accident. It has to be a part of his local lexicon,” said Andrews, who is Black. I’m disturbed that’s who represents us at the Capitol.</p>
<p>“Folks my grandmother’s age, those folks said it, and it’s been weeded out in the hearts of good people in the 60 years since.”</p>
<p>In 2013, a Republican Oklahoma lawmaker apologized for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-oklahoma-bills-archive-duncan-a0a2adefbf894315ad935a943c29c46e">using an anti-Semitic term</a> on the House floor, and in 2011, another Republican lawmaker was formally reprimanded after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-kris-steele-archive-oklahoma-city-43f712a3875344bf9ece88bb8ea126c7">denigrating Black people and women</a> during a debate on an affirmative action bill.</p>
