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	Oklahoma Abortion Law: No Exceptions, Even Rape By Susan Donaldson James ABC News April 29, 2010 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/okla-abortion-law-exceptions-rape/story?id=10507849 From the time she was 15 and repeatedly over the course of two years, Joelle Casteix -- a vulnerable teen with an alcoholic mother -- was sexually abused by her California high school music teacher. At 17, when Casteix discovered she was pregnant with her assailant's child, she sought an abortion, one that she says was emotionally painful, but she doesn't regret. "For the first time in my life, I did something to take care of myself," she said. "I needed to ensure my safety and make sure he wouldn't hurt me. For me it was an act of survival." At the abortion clinic, Casteix was given comfort and counseling then underwent a standard sonogram to determine the gestational age of the fetus. Sheturned her eyes away from the screen. But under a new law in Oklahoma, women like Casteix, who have been sexually assaulted, will be forced to undergo a second trauma. The law requires them to undergo a sonogram, and depending on the state of pregnancy, it could be a transvaginal one, which involves insertion of a wand. The doctor must then turn the screen towards her and describe fetal dimensions and details like the number of fingers and toes and heart activity.
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