According to an article from NewsOK.com, starting November 1st a new law in Oklahoma will require abortion doctors to give information on their patients, including age race, marital status, number of previous pregnancies and the reason they are seeking an abortion. This information will then be given to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, where it will later be turned into a yearly report. This bill has been met with resistance from Pro-choice advocates, their reasoning being that "the measure violates a constitutional requirement that legislative measures deal only with one subject." Not only does the bill deal with more extensive information gathering, but it also prohibits abortions based on the gender of the fetus and redefines several abortion related terms. Those opposed to the bill are calling the details "bundled abortion restrictions." Defenders of the bill argue that all aspects include the same subject, abortion.
Getting more information on those seeking abortions may provide useful history and insight for those in the field. However, many see this as an invasion of privacy and being taken advantage of by the state.
Furthermore, differences between state legislatures and the federal government can make issues such as abortion complicated and messy. Who should these decisions be left up to in the recent health care legislation? Should the federal government be more involved in regulating these matters or should if be left up to a state by state basis?
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://newsok.com/women-challenge-oklahoma-abortion-law/article/3404987
I thought this post was very interesting and did a good job of showing both sides of the argument. This topic is very controversial and this post gives a great summary of why it is. I do not believe that this law should be allowed. I think its is a violation of privacy all around. If someone wants to get an abortion, it is a hard enough decision to make, this law will just make it emotionally harder for someone to handle. Most people will not want to talk about all the personal information they are asking for.
ReplyDeleteGreat job at showing both sides of the argument.
ReplyDeleteBecause the abortion argument is very messy, like you stated, this is a difficult policy to evaluate. As of now, the federal government has taken no official stance on abortion, leaving it in the hands of the states. If we follow the status quo, then we should allow the states to be the ones determining abortion policies. For the federal government to step in and make take a stance on an issue as touchy as abortion would be disastrous for the careers of politicians. They work to make their constituents happy. A politically divisive decision like one regarding abortion policy would likely be made on a federal level.
With the health reform in place, I think the federal government is going to have to step in to regulate the federal funding for abortion. Although privacy may be invaded, all health information can be kept confidential with authenticity from the government. Where we are standing right now, the state-by-state basis works fine, but the health reform can lead to subsequent complication.
ReplyDelete