Want a Birth Certificate? First Tell Us If You've Ever Had an Abortion posted by: Robin Marty

[Darcy Delaproser]

In the days after giving birth a new mother is sleep deprived, emotional, exhausted, and hormonal.  Which makes her a perfect target for intrusive questions about her private life in the guise of bureaucracy.

One woman in Louisiana, however, fought back against the state's practice of asking questions about a mother's pregnancy and medical history, including whether or not she had even had an abortion, at the same time as they process the new baby's birth certificate.

The Louisiana Department of Health denies that it is doing anything wrong, stating that the additional information about the mother's history, including whether she drank or smoked during her pregnancy or had any prior abortions, is necessary to help reduce the state's prematurity and infant mortality rates.  They claim the information is private and not shared with anyone, and that receiving the birth certificate does not hinge on answering the questions.

But according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the mother who wrote "I refuse to answer" on the questionnaire had her certificate held hostage.

After being contacted by the ACLU, the state did finally issue a birth certificate for the mother involved.  But how many other women have answered uncomfortable questions that violated their privacy because they had no idea that they could actually just refuse?
http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/want-a-birth-certifi...