Oklahoma Will Soon Start Publicly Shaming Women Who Have an Abortion
On November 1st, a new Oklahoma law will go into effect that will collect personal details about every abortion performed in the state and post the information collected on a public website for every person with an internet connection to access. The information that will be asked of women who have an abortion includes:
1. Date of abortion
2. County in which abortion was performed
3. Age of [woman]
[Note: The law's wordage is 'age of mother' but I find this extremely offensive so I will not be spreading this offensive language.]
4. Marital status of [woman] (married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never married)
5. Race of [woman]
6. Years of education of [woman] (specify highest year completed)
7. State or foreign country of residence of [woman]
8. Total number of previous pregnancies of the [woman] (live births, miscarriages, induced abortions)
While some (meaning the anti-choice) will undeniably argue that the questions asked of women who seek abortions does not identify any single one woman for public prosecution by her peers for having a completely legal procedure, as Feminists For Choice points out, the information collected could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community, especially if that woman’s race is a minority in a specific county.
Information regarding any person who seeks medical attention for any reason falls under medical records and medical records are, under the law, to be kept confidential. This is nothing but an anti-choice extremist tactic to publicly shame women and put their medical history in the hands of potentially violent extremists; people who are to blame for not-so-peaceful protests, vandalism, death threats and murder. People who will stop at nothing to outlaw a woman’s law-given right to an abortion. People who have obviously pressured Oklahoman law to obtain information that frankly, is no one’s business other than the doctor who performs the abortion. What also troubles me about this law is the fact that women will be forced into divulging the total number of previous pregnancies she has had in the past. Anti-choicers and also those who technically classify themselves as pro-choice but think that women are only entitled to one abortion in their lifetime will undoubtedly begin passing judgment on women who have either had an abortion before, or, as people’s privilege has taught us, begin passing judgment on women who have several children at home. People will begin wondering if the abortion they are reading about online is the abortion had by the 24 year old woman who dropped out of high school living down the street with three children she’s already struggling to take care of; because they have narrowed down the “suspects” and she is the only 24 year old woman who dropped out of high school who has had three previous live births in the community.
We know that anti-choicers believe that they have the right to publicly question the morals and principles of those who do not carry around the same belief system as they do and we know that they think nothing of publicly shaming that woman in a community atmosphere; so what’s to stop an angry anti-choicer who is taking stock in how many abortions were performed in their counties and going to pass their judgment and hatred on that woman living down the street from them?
This law is only the beginning of the “final product” anti-choice Oklahomans have in mind–to outlaw abortion and to publicly prosecute any woman who has one, plain and simple.
Luckily, the Center for Reproductive Rights is challenging the law on the grounds that it “covers more than one subject.” This argument has worked before to strike down an abortion ultrasound law and hopefully will work to the advantage of Oklahoma women again.
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the content is very useful people can make a survey about the abortion in a particular country…thanks…
at first i thought this had to be some kind of a satire — like, how can they possibly be doing this, in the real world? while i'm very grateful for organizations such as CRR that are challenging this “law”, the fact that it was able to be pushed through in the first place is nothing short of terrifying.
This makes me ill.
It's just not right. It's great that this law was challenged. Hopefully, they see the non-logic of it for those women who have already made that decision.
Its a personel decision nobody has right to interfere…..
For forty years women have been fighting for choices. Not only choice for abortions, but also the choice to be a working mother, or a childfree person, etc. Why are the Oklahomans going back into time? Having a choice is not a bad thing at all.
If people can go through IVF in the confidence that the information is kept private, why not the other way around?
What if you got raped by a familiy member and do not want to keep the baby, do you have to give out your information for others to ask more painful questions? Isn't it enough that hospitals have these data and keep them private or for national research purposes. Like you can get a figure of how many abortions per year, per state, etc, when you are the right institute to ask these questions. Does everyone need access to this data through the Internet?
It's wrong, makes me ill !
WOW! This is disgusting. I'm speechless!
This is really unnecessary and won't accomplish anything.
my only question is why do they have to do abortion. can’t people practice safe sex?
as a man I would have to say this is a woman's choice; however, I do think excessive amount of abortions is on the gross side.
I think that it is a personal decision and nobody have the right to interfere with that decisions, they dont be easy to decide but people can not interfere
I find it not at all good that here already again data collecting tank rage seizes around itself. The whole is from my point of view a pure data collection on the back of young women. Is each woman for itself personally nevertheless to decide which it considers correct or not?
I can't believe that they believe they have the right to try to make any woman feel as though their right to choose is going to be put out there for public knowledge. It is very sickening to me. I am so glad that they are being challenged!
Abortion always opens up a ton of different responses – my thoughts are simple: use a dam condom in the first place (aimed at the guys! even though girl condoms are available)
second to that: if you are under 25 and dont want the baby, abort. children are hard work even for people in their 30's like me (I have two girls).
and the other side is 'ra…pe' etc. then definitely abort.
As the picture says: its a personal descision not a legal debate
I think its a very personel matter…..
how can they possibly be doing this?
Thankfully there are associations fighting against this type of situation
Its a very personel matter..i think noone should interfere in this.
very informative post. I got many new information here…
thanxs for the post.
Dis is good..Abortion data should be recorded as to see how many abortions happen forcefully.
In my opinion women has their own right to decide what will be the best for them. Just to think of it. What if you're on their situation? Specially you're not ready to take responsibilities.
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Although I am pro-life, I thought it is not right to shame women who made choices with their life. I wish that these women should be taken care of and helped to get over their pain and trauma because abortion appeared to be something that is not easy to deal with. They should strengthen the awareness of reproductive health and rights instead of shaming these women.
Although I am pro-life, I thought it is not right to shame women who made choices with their life. I wish that these women should be taken care of and helped to get over their pain and trauma because abortion appeared to be something that is not easy to deal with. They should strengthen the awareness of reproductive health and rights instead of shaming these women.
Is this really constitutional? It seems like all kinds of rights would be violated by this.
Omg I want to breath fire. Salem witch hunts all over again. Leave it to a bunch of red necks. I personally wouldn't have an abortion unless it was health related or I was raped…..BUT COME ON! This isn't anyones business but the woman who had it done. Very said in this day and age.
shame on them..
great post!
shame on them..
great post!!
Abortion is the worst thing that a girl can do. We must soon start publicly shaming women who have an abortion.
I still think this is for the woman / girl to decide at the end of the day. it is her body.
Wow and I thought things were changing the other way for womens rights!
For me abortion is unethica. If you don’t want to have a baby then do not do it.
i will say in some cases the abortion is considered a good idea, i will say in some cases the abortion is considered a good idea, this is completely personal decion
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Why are there so many people in charge of campaigning for women’s choices and the child’s choices don’t get a look in. Here’s a blog on abortion articles that may open eyes to what abortion really means to the mother and society as a whole
Articles on abortion
“the information collected could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community, especially if that woman’s race is a minority in a specific county.”
I am personally pro-life. That being said I just wanted to point out that there really isn’t a way for someone in a small community to figure out who’s had the abortion. There are very, very few doctors who actually perform abortions in Oklahoma. (I believe they’re only performed at 3 places). The law is not asking the mother to state the county she lives in. Essentially, any woman living in a smaller community will have to make the drive to one of the 3 larger cities to have one done, where the abortion is performed will be recorded not where she drove from.
That being said, while I am strongly against abortion. I DO believe it is violating doctor/patient confidentiality to release this information.