Republican Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill Wednesday requiring women to wait three days (72 hours, to be exact) before getting an abortion. Oklahoma is the fourth such state to do so and Fallin, a Republican, rushed to relay all the benefits of the law for women across the state. Rick Green
reports:
“This legislation will help women get the information they need before making a decision they can’t take back,” said Fallin. “It will allow for more time to consider medical risks as well as explore alternatives to abortion, such as adoption.”
In reality, it's just one more opportunity for the government to shame women for another few days.
House Bill 1409 also requires abortion clinics that operate a website to add a link to the state’s website, “A Woman’s Right to Know” — www.awomansright.org. The site has a photo of a tiny fetus and includes information about pregnancy, childbirth, adoption and helplines.
Oklahoma state law already requires doctors to inform women about the age of the fetus, the potential risks of the procedure, and the ability to have an ultrasound and monitor the heart. But the bill's sponsor, Rep. Lisa Billy stressed how important it is for women to be educated about the process.
“I just think before you have any kind of surgery you need to have all the information in your hand before you make that irrevocable decision,” Billy said.
And then she revealed the real intent of the bill.
“I'm very pro-life. Anytime a woman makes a decision, she needs to have all that information in her hand prior to making a decision that will take the life of an unborn, separate, unique human being from her.”
Oh, so it's not about having all the information. It's really about the government dictating to women exactly when they're informed enough to make their own decision.
Missouri, South Dakota and Utah are the other three states that require women to wait 72 hours in order to follow through with a decision they made 72 hours earlier.