Despite some legislators stating previously that it wasn’t a priority, the Oklahoma senate decided to override Governor Brad Henry’s veto of the Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act.  The House overrode the veto previously, making the Act now official Oklahoma law.

Tulsa World reports:

The Senate vote was 33-15. The House vote was 84-13.

The legislation, which takes effect Nov. 1, requires the state Department of Health to create a reporting form and make it available online by March 1, 2012. Reports must begin being submitted to the Department of Health by April 1, 2012.

“It is disappointing because every veto override just triggers more lawsuits and legal bills for taxpayers,” said Paul Sund, a Henry spokesman. “Similar abortion laws passed by the Legislature were challenged and thrown out by the courts last year, and the latest versions are probably headed for the same fate.”

The GOP-controlled Legislature has overridden three abortion bill vetoes by the Democratic governor this session.

Supporters said the measure is necessary to learn the underlying causes of abortion and ways to prevent the procedure.

Critics said it is an effort to harass and intimidate women and is a hot-button issue for campaigning in this year’s elections.

Information that a woman will have to provide includes marital status, age, race, education, number of births, number of miscarriages, number of induced abortions and type of abortion.

“I don’t think there is a real honest, genuine effort in this building to prevent abortion,” said Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City. Sincere efforts would have resulted in more education about how pregnancies occur and providing contraceptives, he said.

“This bill treats women like second-class citizens,” said Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah. “It kicks women around.”

He called the series of abortion bills “campaign rhetoric.”

The Center for Reproductive Rights is expected to challenge the law as an invasion of women’s privacy.