Oklahoma Republicans:Worst People On Earth!

[FOTD]

Oklahoma Abortion Law: Details To Be Publicly Posted Online


A new Oklahoma law requires physicians to disclose detailed information on women's abortions to the State's Department Of Health, which will then post the collected data on a public website. The controversial measure comes into effect on November 1 and will cost $281,285 to implement, $256,285 each subsequent year to maintain.

Oklahoma women undergoing abortion procedures will be legally forced to reveal:

1) Date of abortion
2) Country in which abortion is performed
3) Age of mother
4) Marital status of mother
5) Race of mother
6) Years of education of mother
7) State or foreign country of residence of mother
8 ) Total number of previous pregnancies of the mother

Proponents of the legislation claim that women should not be concerned over their privacy since no names or "personal information" will be reported. This defense is questionable. Feminists For Choice argues, "In reviewing the actual text of the law, the first 8 questions that will be asked and reported could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community."

The Center For Reproductive Rights, Rep. Wanda Jo Stapleton (D-Okla.), and Okla. resident Lora Joyce David have filed a lawsuit to prevent this contentious abortion bill from going into effect, on the grounds that it violates the state's constitution.



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/08/oklahoma-abortion-law-det_n_313779.html

[Conan71]

Aside from the obvious "Who needs to know this information?" why on earth would we appropriate $250K per year to maintain such a site of statistics which would have incredibly limited interest?

[custosnox]

Aside from the obvious "Who needs to know this information?" why on earth would we appropriate $250K per year to maintain such a site of statistics which would have incredibly limited interest?

The same reason so many other bills get more money then is really needed, to pad somebodies pockets.

[dbacks fan]

Does HIPAA not exist in Oklahoma?

[kylieosu]

Does HIPAA not exist in Oklahoma?

Exactly. This has got to be repealed. At least I hope....sigh.

[Conan71]

Does HIPAA not exist in Oklahoma?

Doesn't fall under HIPAA if it does not specifically identify patients, to the best of my knowledge.

[brianh]

I don't really see the problem here. I am OK with people having the right to choose and what not, but we are still killing living creatures and that should be recorded somewhere.  Personally, I would like to see the father's name posted on the website as well though but I am not going to be a stickler for that one.  We need to do something to curtail these people from creating fetuses in the first place.

[cannon_fodder]

Lets take the $250,000 a year and fund full ride scholarships to a state school for ~40 kids in the state.

The interest isn't in memorializing aborted fetuses (otherwise they would do the same for still borns, adoptions, and other Oklahoma women giving birth elsewhere that doesn't result in a child being brought back to Oklahoma).  The interest is in doing something else to show abortion is bad.    We get it.  Now lets save $250,000 a year and a lawsuit and move on.

Furthermore, what medical procedure I may or may not have gotten outside the State of Oklahoma is none of the State of Oklahoma's damn business.  If I had the procedure done IN Oklahoma it probably still isn't their business.

[Hoss]

You know, the right wing really cracks me up.  They scream 'Keep government out of healthcare', yet, arguably, this is not what they're doing here.  Granted, I am fundamentally against abortion, but still respect the choice.

No matter what your views are, until Roe v Wade is repealed or a Constitutional Amendment is passed outlawing it, the procedure (abortion) is still lawful and it's still a medical procedure.  Wouldn't that technically fall under the 'healthcare' umbrella and then negate that argument of keeping government out of their healthcare?

You can't have it both ways.

[Conan71]

Cannon, +1

Hoss, +1

[dbacks fan]

Doesn't fall under HIPAA if it does not specifically identify patients, to the best of my knowledge.

I think because a procedure has been performed it does fall under HIPAA even though it is an out paatien procedure. I will check with my wife, she is one of the HIPAA people in the business she works for.

[Conan71]

I think because a procedure has been performed it does fall under HIPAA even though it is an out paatien procedure. I will check with my wife, she is one of the HIPAA people in the business she works for.

I don't see this as much different than physicians reporting flu stats to the CDC or local health department, so long as patient specifics are not released, it's essentially data collection.  That's the way I read it.  Please do ask your wife and report back.  If that is the case, than perhaps HIPAA could trump this reporting requirement.

Still does not justify what they are trying to accomplish here, at all in case anyone thought I was down-playing this by drawing a comparison to the flu in my example.

[guido911]

H.B. 1595 does more than just compile data. First, the statute imposing the reporting of statistical data is here:

http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=456913

Here is another provision within 1595, this prohibits abortions based upon gender:

http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=456909

As for those evil republicans being responsible, just so aox knows, 1595 passed overwhelmingly in both state houses and that republican (oh, I mean DEMOCRAT) governor signed it.

[dbacks fan]

Here is the answer that I got from my wife:

"Well....In just reading the required info...it looks like they did their math when creating the criteria. The only thing I can see in OK especially are the small towns/counties where a 16 year old (#3) Hispanic (#5)  who had twins last year and one died (8,9 and 10) in a community of early settler farmers could easily be identified if the HIPAA patient identifiable data is not securely stored....then that MIGHT be a HIPAA violation. "

[sgrizzle]

Nowhere does it say they would release the information on a city/community level, only compiled statistical data.

I question #2 "Country performed" because that seems pretty obvious.

I am trained/certified to be a HIPAA officer, but have never done it in practice. From what I know, statistical data is very much allowed.