Oklahoma County District Judge Twyla Mason Gray has recused herself from a lawsuit challenging an Oklahoma law that would require women seeking abortions to complete a lengthy questionnaire, the AP/KTUL reports. Before her recusal, Gray issued a temporary restraining order to block the law from taking effect until the suit is resolved. District Judge Daniel Owens will take the place of Gray, who did not provide an explanation for her departure. A hearing scheduled for Friday has been moved to Dec. 18 because of the change (AP/KTUL, 12/2).

The questionnaire requires a woman to provide the state with her age, marital status, education level and the nature of the relationship with her partner. It also requires information regarding the number of previous pregnancies; a reason for the abortion; the cost and type of abortion; the method of payment and type of health insurance; and whether an ultrasound was performed. Plaintiffs in the suit argue that the law violates a state constitutional requirement that laws only address a single issue because it relates to four subjects: prohibiting sex-selective abortions, enacting new reporting mandates, redefining various abortion-related terms in state law and creating new roles for multiple state agencies (cite>Women's Health Policy Report, 10/1). State attorneys have objected to that argument in court filings (AP/KTUL, 12/2).

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