A mother would not be able to abort her baby based solely on the sex of the child if legislation passed by the House today becomes law.House Bill 1595 also creates the Statistical Reporting of Abortion Act, which requires physicians who perform abortions to report certain information to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“As medicine has advanced, it has become easier to genetically ‘design’ babies based on certain desires of the parents, including the sex of the child,” said Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa. “In many countries, aborting babies because of their sex is a common practice, and this legislation will make sure such a barbaric practice will not happen in Oklahoma.”
The Health Department would be required to make state statutes and regulations related to abortion and the reporting forms available on its website if this legislation becomes law. Physicians in the state will also be notified about the requirements to report abortion-related information.
Finally, the measure directs the department to publish certain annual abortion reports on its website and to ensure compliance with the provisions of the act by conducting periodic inspections of places where abortions are performed.
“Oklahomans have a right to know how many abortions are being performed in our state,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “We currently cannot say for certain how prevalent abortions are in Oklahoma. We must protect the lives of the unborn who do not have a chance to speak for themselves.”
The bill passed the House with a vote of 93-4 and will now move to the Senate for consideration.
1 comment:
well I guess at least it's a start.
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