Anti-choice bills flying through the House

Once again, the House Judiciary Committee has passed several anti-choice bills out of committe which include:

HB 2181 - resurrected from 2007, this bill is yet another abortion reporting requirement only this time for RU-486 (the abortion pill). The author stated that physicians who give RU-486 are not following FDA requirements about a follow-up visit after 14 days. (How exactly does this representative know that?)

HB 2771 - The ever so popular "Freedom of Conscience Act" which relates to professionals abstaining from procedures they morally object to. (Does this really need to be a law?)

HB 3059 - This bill requires signs to be posted at abortion clinics regarding coercion. (Talked with the abortion provider in Norman and coercion is not a word in his vocabulary.) My vote is to add an amendment to include the same sign in crisis pregnancy centers.

HB 3144 - Not just another ultrasound before an abortion bill, this bill is particularly heinous because it would require providers to perform an ultrasound on a patient ONE HOUR before the procedure...turning the screen toward the patient and explaining what is on the screen whether the patient wants to look at it or not. (I think probably by the time a woman seeking an abortion has had her mandatory 72 hour waiting period, signed and viewed all state mandated documents required before an abortion procedure, and talked with her family and her physician...she has her mind made up.)

ALSO heading for a floor vote is HB 2628 which would keep any non-governmental agencies (who talk about abortion, hand out information on abortion or perform abortions) from talking to teens in schools. This bill is intended to hurt Planned Parenthood in Oklahoma. Usually (on the rare occasion) when Planned Parenthood is invited to speak at a school our educational programs include information about healthy relationships, human sexuality, safety and security on the internet or prevention programs. Considering the author of the bill has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates for his two counties in Oklahoma, he might want to reconsider.

On the Senate side, SB 1878, yet another "Freedom of Conscience Act" bill.

Thanks to all who attended the committee meetings with us this week...our voices may not have been heard but our presence was not ignored.

I leave you with a quote from one of our most popular buttons...

IF YOU'RE NOT OUTRAGED YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!