1. State and County in which firearm was purchased
2. Age of purchaser
3. Gender of purchaser
4. Race of purchaser
5. Years of education of purchaser
6. State or foreign country of residence of purchaser
7. Total number of previous firearms purchased
8. Number of firearms sold or given to others
9. Number of firearms lost or stolen
10. Number of firearms still in purchaser’s possession
11. I am purchasing a firearm because I:
              like to make noise and destroy things
              want to intimidate politicians at rallies
              enjoy killing animals for sport
              believe in vigilantism as a means of law enforcement

Then, let’s post this information on the internet for everyone to read. What do you think?

Do you think there might be a problem with that? Do you think it might be considered a violation of privacy? Do you think some firearms owners might consider it an attempted infringement of their Second Amendment rights? Do you think that some might consider it a form of intimidation, or an invitation for anti-gun activists to harass the purchasers? Do you think they might believe that their motivation for exercising their right might not be any of the government’s business?

If so, I agree with you. So let’s not do that, okay?

OK.

Speaking of OK . . .

Oklahoma just passed a law remarkably like the one I posted above, and it came into effect on November 1, but it is not about firearms – it is about abortion. A temporary restraining order is in effect until challenges to the law can be ruled on in a February 19 hearing. But if the law is upheld, here are some of the questions which every woman who has an abortion in the state must answer, and which will by law be published online.

1. County in which abortion performed
2. Age of mother
3. Marital status of mother (married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never married)
4. Race of mother
5. Years of education of mother (specify highest year completed)
6. State or foreign country of residence of mother
7. Total number of previous pregnancies of the mother
8. Number of pregnancies that ended in live births
9. Number of pregnancies that ended in miscarriages
10. Number of pregnancies that ended in induced abortions
11. I am having an abortion because having a baby:
               Would dramatically change the life of the mother;
               Would interfere with the education of the mother;
               Would interfere with the job/employment/career of the mother.”

In all the form is ten pages long and has 37 highly personal questions doctors are required to ask and women are required to answer.

There is no compelling medical need to collect and publish this information – nor does the law attempt to claim one. Women are not asked, for example, if there is a medical need for the abortion – medical factors are of no interest. This is simply a means of making information easily available to anti-abortion activists to use in lobbying and harassment of women who chose abortions. Women are not required to include their names, but particularly in smaller communities it is often possible to identify women – or misidentify them — based on the information provided.

There is a growing and nasty tendency in this country for people to stand up only for those rights they would exercise themselves. The notion that “I disagree with what you say (or do) but will defend to the death your right to say (or do) it,” seems all but dead.

Do you think there might be a problem with this law if it applied to a right you cherished? Do you think you might consider it a violation of your privacy? Do you think you might consider it an attempted infringement of your right? Do you think you might consider it a form of intimidation, or an invitation for people who don’t agree with you to harass you? Do you think your motive for exercising your right might not be any business of the government?

If not, why not?