*exceptions may apply
Oklahoma is perhaps the wingnuttiest state in the union. This is the state that has elected geniuses like James Inhofe and Tom Coburn to the U.S. Senate. So, it’s probably no surprise that Oklahoma is leading the way in finding new ways to shame and punish women who have unapproved sex.
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. Implementing the measure will “cost $281,285 the first year and $256,285 each subsequent year.” 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
I don’t see how they can get around federal medical privacy protection laws like HIPAA. The proponents of the law say it’s o.k. because the women’s names aren’t published. But as many have pointed out, it certainly wouldn’t be difficult to figure out the identity of some women, especially those who live in small towns.