New York Times wrong on Oklahoma

Monday, Oct. 26th, The New York Times wrote a scathing editorial attacking the new reporting law in Oklahoma. Tony Lauinger, Chairman of Oklahoman’s for Life, submitted a letter to the editor in response. While the letter has not yet been printed, you can read it here.

Educating oneself has never been  more important than now, in our age of 24 news, and, more often than not, opinion cycle. Check out NRLC’s press release on the law for more information.  

To the Editor:

 Your “Oklahoma v. Women” (Oct. 26) does a grave disservice to the pregnant women, unborn children, and legislators of Oklahoma. 

 As the Guttmacher Institute (former research arm of Planned Parenthood) wrote in Sept 2005, “Understanding women’s reasons for having abortions can inform public debate and policy regarding abortion and unwanted pregnancy.  Demographic changes over the last two decades highlight the need for a reassessment of why women decide to have abortions.”

 Oklahoma deserves praise, not criticism, for gathering state-specific demographic and statistical information about abortions in our state.  The reports are totally anonymous and contain no information about a woman’s hometown or county of residence. 

 Reducing the number of abortions is a goal that even abortion advocates claim to support.  This legislation could help achieve that objective by identifying problems that lead Oklahoma women to seek abortions, thus making it possible to address underlying issues.