As you may have heard, the legislature of the state of Oklahoma, U.S.A. --
which is controlled by the Republican party -- just passed several
anti-abortion laws which basically make the state the strictest environment
for those women who are seeking an abortion. Both laws had been vetoed by
Oklahoma's Democrat governor, Brad Henry, a week ago.

As a result of one of the laws, a woman must now not only view a live
ultrasound image of her unborn fetus, but she must also listen while the
doctor describes in detail the various features of the fetus to her.

I think that this is a positive development for abortion foes! This will
force women to see what they are actually about to murder in cold blood,
with the abortionist's help. Perhaps, and hopefully, seeing the fetus will
convince some women to change their minds, and not go ahead with this
gruesome act of slaughter against the unborn innocent.

However, realistically-speaking, we must recognize that there is still a
problem, and a weakness, with this new law; and that is whether or not, and
to what degree, this law can be enforced.

In short, putting something on paper, and turning it into law is one thing,
but carrying it out, and making sure that it is carried out by those to whom
it is directed, is quite another.

How are they going to know whether or not abortionists and expectant mothers
are really abiding by the law? Sure, there can be a form that must be filled
out and signed by both the abortionist and the mother, in which they affirm
that they've done their duty, but it isn't difficult to imagine that some
abortionists and pregnant women will simply give each other the nod, fill
out the form as a matter of formality, and then perform the abortion anyway.

So, while these new laws in Oklahoma are good, exactly how much teeth they
have remains to be seen.

Following is an article from the New York Times.


Strict Abortion Measures Enacted in Oklahoma

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. - NYT

April 27, 2010


HOUSTON -- The Oklahoma Legislature voted Tuesday to override the governor's
vetoes of two abortion measures, one of which requires women to undergo an
ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before getting
an abortion.

Though other states have passed similar measures requiring women to have
ultrasounds, Oklahoma's law goes further, mandating that a doctor or
technician set up the monitor so the woman can see it and describe the
heart, limbs and organs of the fetus. No exceptions are made for rape and
incest victims.

A second measure passed into law on Tuesday prevents women who have had a
disabled baby from suing a doctor for withholding information about birth
defects while the child was in the womb.

Opponents argue that the law will protect doctors who purposely mislead a
woman to keep her from choosing an abortion. But the bill's sponsors
maintain that it merely prevents lawsuits by people who wish, in hindsight,
that the doctor had counseled them to abort a disabled child.

Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, vetoed both bills last week. The ultrasound
law, he said, was flawed because it did not exempt rape and incest victims
and would allow an unconstitutional intrusion into a woman's privacy.

Of the other measure, Mr. Henry said, "It is unconscionable to grant a
physician legal protection to mislead or misinform pregnant women in an
effort to impose his or her personal beliefs on a patient."

The Republican majorities in both houses, however, saw things differently.
On Monday, the House voted overwhelmingly to override the vetoes, and the
Senate followed suit on Tuesday morning, making the two measures law.

"This is a good day for the cause of life," said State Senator
Glenn Coffee,
the Republican majority leader. "The voice of the people has spoken twice
now this session in the Senate and twice in the House, and I sincerely hope
those who would reverse the people's voice would think twice before acting."

Both of the laws enacted Tuesday over the governor's objections were first
passed in 2008 in an omnibus bill, along with several other anti-abortion
measures. But state courts struck down the measure on a technicality,
because it violated a clause in the Oklahoma Constitution requiring bills to
deal with a single subject.

This year, Republican leaders broke the omnibus bill into pieces to satisfy
the courts' concerns, passing several separate anti-abortion measures. Mr.
Henry has signed two into law: a measure requiring clinics to post signs
stating that a woman cannot be forced to have an abortion, and another
making it illegal to have an abortion because of the sex of a child.

Two other anti-abortion bills are still working their way through the
Legislature and are expected to pass. One would force women to fill out a
lengthy questionnaire about their reasons for seeking an abortion;
statistics based on the answers would then be posted online. The other
restricts insurance coverage for the procedures.

Taken together, the various pieces of legislation would make Oklahoma one of
the most prohibitive environments in the United States for women seeking to
end a pregnancy, advocates for women and family planning said.

"These laws all have the same goal, and that's to discourage women from
seeking abortions in the first place," said Anita Fream, the chief executive
of Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma. "They just throw down one
roadblock after another in front of women and hope maybe they will give up."

Just hours after the vote, the Center for Reproductive Rights, an
organization based in New York that advocates for abortion rights, went to
state court to challenge the ultrasound law as unconstitutional. It argued
that the law violates the doctor's freedom of speech, the woman's right to
equal protection and the woman's right to privacy, said the group's
president, Nancy Northup.

Several states have passed laws in recent years requiring women to undergo
an ultrasound before having an abortion, and at least three -- Alabama,
Louisiana and Mississippi -- require doctors to offer the woman a chance to
see the image. But Oklahoma's new law says that the monitor must be placed
where the woman can see it and that she must listen to a detailed
description of the fetus.

"The goal of this legislation is just to make a statement for the sanctity
of human life," State Senator Todd Lamb, the majority floor leader, said in
an interview after the vote. "Maybe someday these babies will grow up to be
police officers and arrest bad people, or will find a cure for cancer."



Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23
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