Abortion Law Undresses Women in Public

A plaintiff in the case against a new abortion disclosure law in Oklahoma says the measure, which requires women to report intimate details about their abortion procedures, is akin to "undressing women in public."

The law poses criminal penalties and loss of medical licenses for doctors who refuse to comply, according to ABC News.

"Called the Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act, the law requires all doctors to file information on a woman's age, marital status, education level, number of previous pregnancies, cost and type of abortion, as well as the mother's relationship to the father, with the Oklahoma Department of Health," reports ABC News. The information will then be posted online.

"Though it does not ask for names, the form poses 37 questions detailing a woman's personal situation. Critics say the first eight questions alone could easily lead to the identification of a woman who lives in one of the state's many small communities," ABC News reports.

Lora Joyce Davis, one of two plaintiffs in the case, called the law the equivalent of "undressing women in public" in an interview with ABC News.

"A friend said it best: It's like undressing women in public, exposing their most personal issues on the Internet," said Davis.

Davis and another woman are working with the Center for Reproductive Rights to delay the implementation of the law, which is scheduled to take effect November 1, and the launch of the website on March 1, 2010.