New Oklahoma Law Requires Web Posting of Personal Details of Women Who Have Abortions

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Todd Lamb, anti-abortion legislator

As of November 1, women in Oklahoma who have an abortion will have to provide detailed information about themselves and their operation which will then be posted on a public website. The Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act is being challenged by two women who have filed a lawsuit arguing the new law violates the state constitution.

 
Although the 37-questionaire required under the new law does not ask for names, opponents say the amount of personal information will still result in people being able to identify women who have abortions. Details to be posted online by the Oklahoma Department of Health include a person’s age, marital status, education level, number of previous pregnancies, cost and type of abortion, method of payment, reason given for abortion, as well as the mother’s relationship to the father. Examples of questions include: “Was there an infant born alive as a result of the abortion?” and “Was the abortion performed within the use of any public institution?”
 
“This law asks for so much information, and they are going to put it on the Internet for public scorn,” plaintiff Lora Joyce Davis told ABC News. “Women who have abortions are considered murderers by many people, and you are going to put the name of a town of 200 and the fact that the girl is 17 and it’s her first pregnancy and she’s in the 10th grade. People are going to know who it is.”
 
The Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act was sponsored by two anti-abortion Republican lawmakers, state Senator Todd Lamb and Representative Dan Sullivan.
 
“This legislation is essential in protecting the sanctity of life,” said Lamb last April when the bill cleared the legislature. “Too often the life of the unborn is taken for granted, and I applaud my colleagues for their bipartisan support of a pro-life measure, despite attempts on the floor to sabotage this issue important to families across our state.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Abortion Law Akin to 'Undressing Women' (by Susan Donaldson James, ABC News)
The Details of Your Abortion Online? (by Lynn Harris, Salon.com)

Comments

zaylyn 15 years ago
To be fair, I propose: Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act II, also known as: “What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander,” requires the following information to be collected about the FATHER of the unborn child and posted on a public website: 1. Date of abortion 2. County in which abortion performed 3. Age of father and difference from age of mother 4. Marital status of father (married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never married) If married, is he married to the mother of the child or to another woman? 5. Race of father and if same or different than mother 6. Occupation of father (specify employer and yearly income) 7. Residence of father (country, state, county). Same or different household than mother? 8. Total number of previous pregnancies fathered and the number of different women involved. In addition, in an effort to influence the mother’s decision about the abortion, all fathers will be required to offer to contribute $10,000/year for 18 years toward the cost of raising the child. I am sure that this information would be much more useful in devising policies to reduce abortions than the information to be collected from the mother!
Geta 15 years ago
Are you kidding me... These guys aren't Republican.. GET A CLUE OKLAHOMA.. Todd Lamb and Dan Sullivan.. You soon will be voted out of this party, because you two are out of line. This is against the Constitution both National and State.. YAY for Vilifying teens.. You heartless people.. Grow up.. Go become Independent(s)..

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