Gay Hater Gets Transgender Opponent

Sally Kern, the Oklahoma State Representative who declared homosexuality to be a greater threat than terrorism, is going to face off against Brittany Novotny, a transgendered woman in the general election. (*Note: I know the difference between transgendered and gay, but I seriously doubt Sally Kern does or cares.) Anyway, good luck Novotny!

Ultrasounds & Abortion

Oklahoma's recently passed restrictive anti-abortion laws may backfire, at least in part. One of the laws requires that women be forced to look at an ultrasound and hear a lengthy description of the fetus. The idea is that women will be shamed out of having the abortion. In Alabama, where women are given the option of viewing the ultrasound (admittedly, not directly comparable), there has been no decrease in abortions.

In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that such an approach backfires, particularly for younger embryos and fetuses. Embryos do not look like humans, and that can be reassuring when deciding to terminate. Opponents of ultrasound requirements worry that it will emotionally scar women without actually changing their minds, but data from England suggests that's not the case. Seventy-three percent of women in those studies looked at the ultrasound when given the option, 84% of those said it did not make the decision more difficult, and no one changed her mind about having it done.

It is the second law that I actually find more disturbing. This law prevents a woman from suing a doctor who intentionally hid information about birth defects while the baby was in utero. There are many non-abortion related reasons to know about birth defects before a baby arrives. (As a reminder, Sarah Palin had prenatal tests to confirm a disability in her child.) Even without that fact, I am appalled by legislators making it legally acceptable for a doctor to lie and mislead a patient about anything. That's how you end up with situations like the Tuskegee Experiment.

Oklahoma Hates God

Whooooopsies! The Oklahoma State Legislature meant to enact a protest law, if you will, against the Shepard Act, which includes sexual orientation in the federal hate crimes statute. It looks like Oklahoma meant to prohibit Oklahoma law enforcement sharing information with the feds if state law did not recognize the case as a hate crime. Specifically, they meant the sexual orientation/transgendered group. Unfortunately for them (fortunately for those of us who like to laugh at such things), they got the statute numbers mixed up and referred instead to crimes based on religion or race. Good going guys!