Oklahoma passes bill to ban abortions based on sex selection

Oklahoma City, Okla., May 22, 2009 / 01:16 am

An Oklahoma bill to ban abortions based on an unborn child’s sex has been passed by the state legislature and now heads to the governor for signing.

H.B. 1595 passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 35 to 9. The bill had passed the House by 88 to 6.

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, urged Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry to sign HB 1595 into law.

“Aborting a baby because she's a girl or he's a boy is offensive on so many levels, it's hard to imagine anyone trying to justify the practice," Fr. Pavone said.

According to The Oklahoman, the bill requires the abortionist to report to the state Health Department the age, marital status and education level of the mother; the number of her prior pregnancies; the reason and method for the abortion; and the nature of the mother’s relationship with the baby’s father.

The bill also requires the reporting of the method of payment, the type of medical health insurance coverage, the cost of the abortion, and whether an ultrasound was given.

If the bill becomes law, abortionists will be required to report the information starting in 2011.

At present, the state currently tracks non-identifying information about women receiving abortions including their age and county of residence. Physicians at the three facilities in Oklahoma that are certified to perform abortions voluntarily report information, the Oklahoman reports.

Under the proposed law, doctors who do not report the information would be subject to fines of up to $100,000 after their third offense.

Health officials said the bill’s requirements could cost the state nearly $280,000.

Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life, said the legislation would help prove whether abortions are “safe, legal and rare” as some say.

"We don’t have a tangible way to prove the accuracy of that statement. Complications are seldom reported, and there is very little known about the damage to the health and well-being of women,” he said, according to the Oklahoman.

Last week, the Oklahoma House passed a human cloning ban, sending it to the Senate for final passage. Gov. Henry had vetoed a previous version of the anti-cloning bill.