Oklahoma law could make abortion records public.

• Position: PRIVACY

A Judge has temporarily blocked the enforcement of a controversial new law in Oklahoma that would require doctors to post patients' private abortion records online.

Abortion and privacy rights advocates have said The Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act (HB 1595), which was set to take effect November 1, 2009, violates patient privacy rights and is meant to intimidate women who may be considering the procedure.

The law requires the Oklahoma Department of Health to publish online personal, sensitive information on all abortion patients, including the woman's race, marital status, financial situation, education background, number of previous pregnancies and abortions, how the abortion will be paid for, reason for seeking the abortion, and the county where the procedure was performed, according to a Fox News report.

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Women's names and addresses are not part of the information required to be published on the state-run website, but women and doctors must provide the other information as part of a questionnaire they would be required to complete in their doctor's office.

According to the law, Fox News said, doctors who do not provide the information face criminal penalties and could lose their medical licenses.

Two Oklahoma women filed suit...