Just this past April, Oklahoma legislature enacted the strictest abortion measures in America in decades. The first measure mandates that a doctor or technician requires a woman to have an ultrasound, and while doing so, shows her the monitor so the woman can see and describe the heart, limbs, and organs of the fetus. No exceptions for situations such as rape or incest victims. Apparently, the best way to take care of women’s needs in one of the most emotionally sensitive times of their lives is by forcing them through more emotional pain. Perhaps Oklahoma can take it up a notch and force the mother to keep the aborted fetus as well.

The second measure prevents mothers of disabled children from suing their doctors for withholding information about birth defects. Physicians are now legally protected to mislead, misinform, or even lie to their patients. Perhaps Oklahoma doesn’t believe that parents need to be informed if their baby has Down’s Syndrome so that they can prepare for a life of taking care of a handicapped child, lest they decide to abort it, or perhaps Oklahoma feels that a woman should carry the baby to full-term and then receive a surprise like Anencephaly. Usually, when expecting parents say that they “want to be surprised,” they mean “will it be a boy or girl?” and not, “Will my baby be missing half their brain and have fully formed skull?”

Two other measures would require women to fill out a lengthy questionaire about their reasons for seeking an abortion, statistics of which would be posted online. The other restricts insurance coverage on abortions.

The Nebraska law bans most abortions at no later than 20 weeks on the belief that at that point, the fetus can feel pain. As part of the signing ceremony, Governor Heineman signed a separate law that requires that women seeking abortions to be screened for possible physical or mental risks.

Canada finds itself at odds with the rest of the G8 by now refusing to fund international efforts that involve abortion, contrary to previous positions. When women’s groups spoke up about it, they were told by a Conservative senator to “shut the fuck up,” stating there would be a backlash if they didn’t keep their mouths shut. Shortly after that, a number of women’s groups were defunded by the Conservative government. Groups given additional funding included a horse magazine, a golf magazine, and a twitter campaign to promote the seal hunt. It’s a good thing the Conservative government respects women enough to tell them to shut up and to punish them for speaking out, otherwise they might get uppity and pretend they have real rights.

As a man, I cannot possibly understand the emotions involved in getting an abortion. I’ll never be pregnant, I’ll never have to face the uncomfortable situations involved in getting an abortion. So why is it that men feel that they have the right to dictate what women can do with their bodies? This isn’t simply a case of medical necessity, all of the above are strictly about enforcing personal morals and beliefs upon the lives of others. Specifically, punishing those who have sex by forcing them to have babies, in some cases, in medically dangerous situations. If they’re not able to stop women, they try to make the process as shameful, intrusive, and painful as possible.

When you look at the statistics, the countries and regions with more comprehensive sexual education and access to contraceptives have by far the lowest rates of abortion. If the people advocating these policies really wanted to reduce abortion, rather than punishing women, they would follow successful models. Countries that have banned abortion do not show a significant drop in the abortion rate, however, they do show significantly more women dying from performing their own abortions. If you care about women’s rights, women’s safety, and unborn children, your choice should be clear.

Anyway you slice it, you cannot be complacent about your rights, and the rights of others. Self-righteous culture warriors that want to force their morality upon others haven’t stopped their assault, nor will they.

Here’s a handy chart you can show people to give them a primer on this issue, as well as a link that should make you angry at some of the hypocrisy of it all.

“The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion”