Abortion

[Kinokokao]

[ZetaBladeX13]

[Kinokokao]

All right. Here's what I found out:

Texas has the same two 24 hour delay periods wherein a physician must give the woman information on the procedure, status of her fetus, funding options (including roping the father into child support), etc etc. This law reads pretty much identical to the Oklahoma one. Kansas, also, has a law with remarkably similar language. Arkansas has even tougher laws, which I'll cover in a moment.
Texas also prohibits public funds and facilities from performing abortions (with few, difficult to achieve exceptions on rape *rape is the crime least likely to be reported or prosecuted* and danger to the woman's life). Kansas does not permit abortions from taking place in any facility owned, operated or funded by the University of Kansas health system. I did not research how extensive that health system is.
All three states restrict low-income access to abortions with policies similar to Oklahoma.
Texas and Kansas both allow private clinic, physicians, hospitals and funds to refuse abortion services, similar to Oklahoma.
Texas and Kansas both require parental notification and the written consent of at least one parent in the cases of under 18 women. Texas does not make exceptions for rape, abuse or neglect. A minor may seek a judge to rule that she is sufficiently mature and aware of her situation and the consequences, but only in cases where parental notice may result in abuse or otherwise endanger her. (How a minor is supposed to get through all that red tape on her own I have no idea. Also, what about minors in the foster system?)
Additionally, Kansas law states a young woman may not obtain an abortion until after she receives counseling from a licensed physician, nurse, physician's assistant, clergy member, or qualified counselor while accompanied by a parent or an interested adult over 21 who is not associated with the abortion provider. Such counseling, of course, includes discussion of the alternatives and financial support available.
Kansas further has a gag order that "A group that promotes, refers for, or educates in favor of abortion may not enter into a contract under the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's pregnancy maintenance programs, which provide services to enable women to carry their pregnancies to term."
And one final law for Texas. Providers, including private physicians, who perform more than 50 abortions per year must become licensed as abortion facilities. The fee for licensing is $2,500 a year. Additionally it states that such facilities are required to uphold numerous and specific administrative and health code regulations, violations of which lead to fies of $1,000 per day per infraction. I could not find information on what these policies were, other than the extensive legal information needed for each abortion performed, including the name, age, address, ethnicity and medical history of the patient. This information must be submitted for each abortion performed.

So not much difference in laws. Now let's look at Arkansas, which is even more conservative.

In addition to restriction of access for minors and low-income women, Arkansas has the same delay and waiting period counseling rules. However, Arkansas also has no repealed its pre-Roe v Wade abortion ban, which is unenforceable but speaks powerfully for the political climate. Arkansas bans 12-week abortions and punishes offenders with felony charges.
The Arkansas constiution reads "The policy of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth, to the extent permitted by the Federal Constitution."
Certain state employee insurance plans prohibit coverage of abortion unless necessary to preserve a woman's life.

Also, 93 percent of Texas counties have no abortion providers. 96 percent of Kansas and Oklahoma counties have no abortion provider. 97 percent of Arkansas counties have no abortion providers.

Out of curiosity, I decided to do some comparisons...
31 states have laws that subject women seeking abortions to biased counseling requirements and/or mandatory delays: AL, AK, AR, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WV, WI.
8 states have laws that require women to obtain the written consent from, or give notice to, her husband prior to receiving abortion care: CO, IL, KY, LA, ND, PA, RI, SC.
43 (!!) states restrict young women's access to abortion by mandating parental notice or consent: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WV, WI, WY.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives reintroduced the so-called "Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act," which imposes criminal penalties on anyone other than a parent—including a grandparent or minister—who accompanies a young woman across state lines for abortion care if requirements of the home state's parental involvement law have not been met.

So there you have it.

And, hopping off topic briefly, yes it was illegal to tattoo in Oklahoma until 2006 when the "permenant body art" ban was lifted, the law coming into affect in November 1st of that year. We were the last state to prohibit tattooing.
Also, anyone under the age of 18, even if accompanied by a parent, adult or legal guardian cannot be in a tattoo shop or receive a tattoo in Oklahoma under state law.
A $100,000 surety bond must be filed with the State Attorney General's office for a tattoo parlor to open and operate legally. Also, artists must be licensed micropigmentologists or tattoo artists under state law.
A tattoo parlor cannot open or operate within 1,000 feet of a school, church, playground. For those of you not familiar with my state, there are a LOT of churches here. We are the buckle of the Bible Belt for a reason. I tried to find some definite numbers on this but couldn't.

[ZetaBladeX13]

[Kitsunexus]

I think it should be OK in the case of rape. Otherwise enjoy your new baby!

[Walter Cronkite]

[Atma]

[ziron]

[ZetaBladeX13]

[ziron]

[ZetaBladeX13]

[Kinokokao]

Atma, I agree.

My stance is this:
the woman has the final and ultimate vote. The decision to abort should be hers and hers alone when it really comes down to it. Even if her partner is adamantly for or against it does not matter; she is the one who deals with the immediate consequences.
Let me demonstrate.
Sue is pregnant. Her partner, Bob, wants her to terminate the pregnancy. Sue disagrees. Bob leaves her and is never seen again. Sue is pregnant for 9 months and raises the child by herself after it is born.
It was Sue's decision to raise the child, therefore it is her responsibility to carry the fetus to term. Bob decided he was not going to be a father and left the picture. This is fair.

Now let's look at Mary. Mary is pregnant and wishes to abort. Her partner Carl feels differently. He wants to be a father and denies her access to an abortion.
Carl, however, cannot be pregnant for 9 months. He cannot assume the responsibility of the pregnancy. He could assume responsibility for an infant, but that is impossible without the fetus coming to term. Carl is biologically incapable of this.
Is it fair to Mary to carry the unwanted fetus to term? Why should she be forced to do this when it was not her decision?
Since it is biologically impossible for a man to carry a fetus to term he cannot make the decision.
Only the woman should have that final say.

Wait, wait, you start to say. In the above example Bob is still being forced to deal with Sue's decision: he must pay child support. I believe this is wrong. If a man does not want to be a child's father than he should have that right. Only once a parent has committed to being a parent are they then responsible. If a father of eight years suddenly leaves the mother, he is still responsible for his child. If a partner of eight years leaves a pregnant woman than he is only breaking a commitment to her.
What if a man says he'll commit but, come birth, refuses to sign the certificate? Well, unfortunately, that is fair. Each individual must be fully equipped to handle a child on their own before they can commit to having one, regardless of the actual parenting situation. If you would not have a child without your partner, than you should not have that child. What if he was hit by a car, rather than gripped with doubt?

Having a child is the single greatest responsibility you can undertake.

That being said, like Atma I do not plan on becoming a mother. I look forward to the extra time and money this will allow me to explore my life and the world around me.
And, ziron, it is a bit sexist to assume all women "want" to become mothers. Plenty do not. The "baby clock" is only the pressures of society that dictate that young women must be sexually attractive and mature women must be maternal. We glorify motherhood to the point of excluding any other path of success for a woman. We propagate the notion of childless couples as "incomplete" or somehow "damaged."

[X-grunger]

i heard about the legal aborption in some countries, im my land its complety illegal, well, im pro terapeutical abortion, that´s when the mother is in risk if she gave birth to the child.

[ZetaBladeX13]

[ziron]