Reproductive Rights

Will a new draconian abortion law force some Oklahoma women with problematic pregnancies to leave the state to receive treatment?

According to a recent story by Jennifer Mock in The Daily Oklahoman some local experts believe it could.

The new law, passed last session by the Oklahoma Legislature, prohibits state money from being used to perform abortions unless the mother’s life is at risk or she is a rape or incest victim. Some say the law directly affects lower-income women and OU Health Sciences Center, which in the past has performed abortions to save the mother’s life or because the fetus would not survive out of the womb.

But a Planned Parenthood spokesperson and a state legislator, according to the story, said they are even unsure if any hospital in the state can treat “crisis” pregnancies with the abortion procedure if the mother’s life is not in danger. This argument is based on the fact hospitals accept Medicaid patients, and some Medicaid money is provided by the state.

A crisis pregnancy can be defined this way: It is a medical emergency in which either the mother's and/or or fetus's life is in jeopardy.

Under the new law, Oklahoma women with crisis pregnancies may well be turned away for full treatment unless their life is in danger. It seems logical that even the most affluent women with crisis pregnancies would want to go to a hospital that offered a full-range of treatment options. Also, who would want to get treatment for a crisis pregnancy at an Oklahoma hospital when its staff might be filled with religious extremists not interested in treating the mother? It’s obvious those legislators who pushed for the law and voted for it were elected by at least a percentage of these people.

This is why it is important concerned citizens in our state form and/or support some type of discreet organization or program that will help the state’s women get treatment for their crisis pregnancies in other states if the need arises. This help could be financial for lower income women or just informational for women who do not want to risk their health. The organization could network with regional hospitals.

The fact Oklahoma might have to send its problematic and difficult pregnancy cases to other states can be another one of its dirty little secrets the chamber-of-commerce types never talk about. But, remember this, the Christian fundamentalists and extremists are not going to stop their legislative assault on the abortion procedure with this one law. This is just the beginning, not the ending. What will happen next legislative session? What’s next?

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Activists Draw National Attention

A courageous fight for women’s reproductive rights and medical science is taking place in Oklahoma these days, and it has drawn national attention.

Gov. Brad Henry recently vetoed a draconian anti-abortion bill, Senate Bill 714, that micromanages health care for all Oklahomans by forcing the state’s teaching hospitals to ignore recognized medical procedures.

Twice, the bill’s proponents have tried to override the veto in the Oklahoma Senate. Twice, they have failed by the minuscule margin of one vote.

Under the bill, state employees, funds and institutions could not be used to perform abortion procedures. The proposed law, sponsored by state Sen. James Williamson (R-Tulsa), would not make exceptions for rape or incest. The state already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Osteopathic Association, and the Nurses' Association are against the bill because they say it violates sound medical decision making. These organizations do not take political positions on the abortion issue.

The medical organizations argue the bill could prohibit medical personnel from getting proper training in the state, which ultimately affects health care for all of us.

The bottom line is this: Those women in Oklahoma who have the money can easily obtain a safe, discreet abortion here or elsewhere. The state’s impoverished women would have to go through a lot of hassle.

Pamela Merritt, writing in the Broadsheet section of Salon.com, recently highlighted the struggle of pro-choice activists in Oklahoma and called it a “reproductive-rights victory.”

In a conference call discussing the Oklahoma abortion legislation, some state pro-choice activists talked about how the local medical community has rallied around defeating the measure, according to the article.

But Williamson has vowed to continue his override attempts.

Health Care For Okie Republicans Only?

If you’re not disturbed by an Oklahoma doctor’s statement that he will refuse to treat any legislator who voted against a recent corporate immunity measure, then you haven’t considered the overall implications.

Should doctors be allowed to refuse medical treatment based on political views? If so, then Democrats need to make their escape plans right now or find doctors that place care for their patients above getting a new boat.

Dr. Peter S. Hedberg, a surgeon in Durant, told the Associated Press he would not treat any legislator who voted against Senate Bill 507 unless it was a medical emergency. Hedberg said he could buy a “nice big boat,” according to the article, for what he pays in malpractice insurance. (No, I’m not making this up.) He urged other doctors to join him in denying care to legislators who voted against the bill.

There are many things wrong with this. Let’s focus on two. (1) It’s simply wrong for a doctor to deny medical care to someone because of different political beliefs. Hedberg uses the “emergency” qualification, of course, but many in the state’s medical community will or should be appalled by his remarks. Doctors who oppose Hedberg’s position need to speak up for the sake of health care in this state. Can we trust our doctors will give us their finest care if we differ from them politically? It works both ways. Maybe Democratic doctors should come out and assure people they will treat them regardless of their political beliefs. (2) The doctor never mentions insurance companies, which are reporting record profits these days. Insurance companies are given a free ride by those who support these GOP-sponsored corporate immunity acts that are popping up across the nation? Why?

Why not make malpractice insurance rates for doctors a separate issue from corporate lawsuit immunity? Everyone should support lower malpractice insurance rates for doctors and any law or measure that enhances medical science. But we need to protect individual rights as well. There is a real balance here.

Gov. Brad Henry vetoed the bill after it passed by a slim margin in the Oklahoma Senate along party lines, with most Democrats voting against the measure. I guess that means Hedberg won’t treat Henry either. Imagine a world in which a popular state governor, who was elected in a landslide vote, can’t get health care because of his political positions.

In the squares of the city, in the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?—Woody Guthrie’s “The Land Is Your Land”

(Update: Governor Brad Henry vetoed the bill April 18.)

There are many compelling points made by a new Web site urging Governor Brad Henry to veto Senate Bill 714, the draconian anti-abortion bill that would prohibit state funds and facilities from being used in the procedure.

But here’s one that stood out for me:

“This bill will seriously impair our ability to train OB-GYNs, and nurses in a state where a shortage of both already exists. When normal standards of medical care and compassion become prohibited acts, defined as felonies under our laws, it becomes impossible to teach the basic standards of care necessary to ’save the life of a mother.’”

Essentially, if the bill is passed, Oklahoma will once again go backwards in terms of overall health care so religious extremists can enjoy a sanctimonious thrill. Overall care for pregnant women will decline in the state if the bill is passed. As the Web site points out, the bill, which has been passed by the House and Senate, really prevents doctors and nurses from practicing medicine.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association, the Oklahoma Nurses Association, the Oklahoma section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association are against the bill. The bill is sponsored by James Williamson (R-Tulsa).

“This bill is touted as an anti-abortion bill by its proponents,” according to the Web site, “but in reality it amounts to legislative interference in the medical decisions made by doctors and their patients.”

It addition, as the Web site points out, the bill would prevent health insurance companies from funding the procedure and also prevent health care providers from offering Plan B, or the “morning after” pill (this is not the abortion drug RU486) to victims of rape.

The site asks Governor Brad Henry to veto the bill and then asks the Oklahoma Senate to sustain it. The Senate needs only one more vote from the initial vote count to sustain Henry’s veto.

The abortion issue in Oklahoma makes for a tough political decision because of the one-issue, mindless intrusion of the religious right into the political landscape. It’s tempting to throw in the towel and let the religious fanatics have their day because it’s impossible and exhausting trying to argue with close-minded people. But the religious right will not stop here with this particular bill. They want control of our government, and they will not relent.

Progressives need to deliver this specific message to Oklahomans: If you want decent health care in Oklahoma, then listen to what the medical community is saying about this bill. It’s horrendous and backwards. It does nothing to help Oklahoma.

Those women with financial resources can always leave this place and obtain a safe, discreet abortion, and they will leave, and they will not come back.