After Oklahoma State Sen. Ralph Shortey introduced a bill Jan. 18 that prohibits the manufacture or sale of foods which contain aborted human fetuses or which used them in the research or development of any of the ingredients, the world is wondering what foods contain aborted human fetuses.

I've gotten so much hate mail, Shortey said Thursday in a phone interview from Texas with The LA Times. Are fetuses being chopped up and put in our Doritos? he asked. No.

He explained that he bill came about after he found reports of a 2010 boycott of Pepsi Co. by Children of God For Life, an anti-abortion group based in Florida. According The LA Times, the boycott backers claimed that Pepsi Co. was contracting with Senomyx, a San Diego-based company that allegedly used human embryonic stem cells in the testing of artificial flavors.

Pepsi and Senomyx denied these allegations.

There is a potential that there are companies that are using aborted human babies in their research and development of basically enhancing flavor for artificial flavors, he told KRMG Radio. I don't know if it is happening in Oklahoma, it may be, it may not be. What I am saying is that if it does happen then we are not going to allow it to manufacture here.

Some people are calling the bill a back-door attempt to ban embryonic stem cell research - a ban Shortey said he would support, KRMG reported.

I want a serious conversation about this, Shortey told the Los Angeles Times. This wasn't an open invitation for the country to chime in. This was an invitation to my colleagues to have this discussion.

Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the agency has never gotten any reports of fetuses being used in food production.

According to the LA Times, Shortey, elected in 2010, has introduced several controversial bills, including one that would deny Oklahoma citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in the state. None of his controversial bills have been passed.

I've got thick skin. I don't care what people think about me, he told the LA Times.

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