So as I have mentioned before on the blog, I am from the great state of Oklahoma. While the land I belong to is grand, it is also one of the worst states for women. No state legislature has done more to challenge Roe v. Wade than Oklahoma's. Most recently, a bill was passed requiring some horrendous stipulations surrounding getting an abortion. Now doctors are required by law to vaginally insert an ultra sound probe so that the woman must watch the fetus as the abortion takes place. Within the bill is a clause that the woman may “avert her eyes” but that the screen displaying the fetus must be in her view. So a constitutionally protected right is now surrounded by a mandatory invasive procedure. This is only the most recent anti-woman bill Oklahoma has passed. Over the past ten years they have made into law a mandatory 24 hour waiting period prior to receiving an abortion, mandatory parental consent for young women under 18, mandatory distribution of abortion alternatives literature, etc. The legislature is currently working on subsequent bills that will require women to explain their reason for seeking an abortion and allow this explanation to be a part of public record. Rather than focusing on the economy and the incredible budget deficit that Oklahoma now had, these law makers are making it practically impossible for a women to receive an abortion in the state of Oklahoma. Whenever I truly think that the roles of women in society are improving, I need only to look to my home to realize that it may not be so. Check out the link below to view the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Oklahoma on the Rachel Maddow show.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#36839218
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Leah, I had never heard of these outrageous stipulations. It saddens me to think that a woman, who has already thought long and hard about her decision to have an abortion, must be further subjected to rules that work to stigmatize her decision. What is the purpose of mandating that the woman watch the procedure? It is really upsetting and frustrating to realize that everytime we go one step forward, we go three steps backward.
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