Oklahoma Abortion Law's Online-Publication Rules Come Under Fire
A new Oklahoma law that will allow the state to publish detailed information about abortion patients online has created uproar from critics who view it as a blow to women’s rights and is providing the latest fodder in the debate over online-data privacy.
The Huffington Post reported that the law, which would go into effect Nov. 1, would require Oklahoma women who have abortions to disclose the following details:
- Date of abortion
- County where the abortion is performed
- Age of mother
- Marital status
- Race of mother
- Years of education
- State or foreign country of residence of mother
- Total number of previous pregnancies
Doctors will be required to report this information to the State Department of Health so that it can be posted on a public Web site. Supporters say that patients’ privacy rights are protected because their names and other personal information will not be reported.
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