Outrageous Oklahoma Law Will Post Details of Women's Abortions Online

Posted by Liliana Segura, AlterNet at 11:10 AM on October 9, 2009.

So I know we're all supposed to be talking about Obama's Nobel War Peace Prize, but Joshua and Addie are on it already. So before moving on to the fact that NASA just spent $79 million to bomb the moon, can we just stop for a second to get a load of the latest insanely anti-woman legislation to come down the pike?

Over at Think Progress, Amanda Terkel reports:

On Nov. 1, a law in Oklahoma will go into effect that will collect personal details about every single abortion performed in the state and post them on a public website.

Here are the first eight questions that women will have to reveal:

1. Date of abortion

2. County in which abortion performed

3. Age of mother

4. Marital status of mother

(married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never married)

5. Race of mother

6. Years of education of mother

(specify highest year completed)

7. State or foreign country of residence of mother

8. Total number of previous pregnancies of the mother

Live Births

Miscarriages

Induced Abortions

Wow.

This nasty bit of legislation comes courtesy of Oklahoma Republicans Dan Sullivan and Todd Lamb; Lamb, a Baptist and former Secret Service agent, is running for lieutenant governor. He calls the law "common-sense legislation."

It's hard to understand how it could possibly qualify as "common sense" to pass such a flagrantly intrusive, completely unnecessary measure that will "cost $281,285 the first year and $256,285 each subsequent year," according to one estimate. This is a crass attempt to intimidate women from exercising their reproductive rights, plain and simple.

Note to the networks: Before I have to hear another syllable about David Letterman's sexploits, how about covering news that actually affects women around the country?

(H/T to Pam's House Blend.)

Go here for more.

Tagged as: abortion, reproductive rights, oklahoma, dan sullivan, todd lamb

Liliana Segura is a staff writer and editor of AlterNet's Rights and Liberties and World Special Coverage.