A national pro-choice advocacy group is justified in suing the state of Oklahoma over a law that will require women to hear a detailed description of an ultrasound within one hour of having an abortion.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is suing on behalf of Nova Health Systems, the parent organization of Reproductive Services in Tulsa. According to the suit, Senate Bill 1878 by Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, and Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, infringes upon women’s privacy and represents inappropriate governmental influence over medical procedure. (See page 1 for details.)
The law is scheduled to go into effect Nov. 1.
Regardless of whether or not we agree with the law, we are glad the Center for Reproductive Rights is suing on behalf of the Tulsa business to provide a check on the Oklahoma legislature’s power.
There are people who will claim a national group based in New York has no right to challenge a state law. (Both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature overrode Gov. Brad Henry’s veto of the bill.)
But the group is giving clout to a private Oklahoma business that would not stand a chance against an overwhelmingly decided legislature in a conservative state in which most people agree with the law.
The group’s involvement gives the Tulsa business a fair fight against a large group of people who support the law.
The group also is drawing national attention to the law.
States often are not held accountable for the laws they pass because those laws easily can go unnoticed.
When states pass hundreds of laws per year, it is too time consuming for citizens to read through each one and determine its legal and ethical merits.
We hope the Center for Reproductive Rights’ lawsuit inspires important discussion about this.
Before this law goes into effect, there needs to be talk about the role of government in health care, the amount of information needed for informed consent, the dynamic of patient and doctor relationships and whether or not it is right to put up barriers to abortion.
We hope Oklahomans will keep the state government in check, but when other entities do not think Oklahomans are doing so, they should step in and make sure the government is upholding its duty to its citizens.
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mares97 3 years, 7 months ago
You're right, there does need to be more discussion about "the amount of information needed for informed consent, the dynamic of patient and doctor relationships and whether or not it is right to put up barriers to abortion." The patient has the right to have every bit of information about the procedure she's undertaking before it happens. It is a procedure that takes a life and I hope that Oklahoma doctors are very detailed about it. I have strong pro-life views and believe there should be barriers when it comes to access to abortion. Too many people are so carefree about this procedure...if they knew the facts, I believe they'd be appalled!