The Oklahoma state House approved a bill known as the Statistical Reporting of Abortion Act on Wednesday in an 88 to 6 vote that bans sex-selective abortions and increases reporting requirements by doctors who perform the procedure. According to Tulsa World, the questionnaires would personally identify patients, list the source of funds for the procedure, and the reason for the procedure.
Critics of the bill are saying that expenses involved with the questionnaires are unnecessary and that the reporting requirements would intimidate women seeking abortion services. Democratic state Representative Ryan Kiesel said “We’re going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, most of it for data….Have any of you looked at the form doctors already fill out? I have. There is already a questionnaire,” reported Tulsa World.
The bill’s author, Republican State Representative Dan Sullivan said in a press release: “The reporting will allow us to know exactly how many abortions are being performed in Oklahoma and why they are occurring so we can possibly adjust policy to further reduce the number of abortions in our state.”
