The new law has placed limits and criteria that must be met by the pregnant woman before she can get her legal medical procedure. First, she has to attend a consultation with an anti-choice pregnancy (cough) help center that actually tries to disguise that it's an anti-choice center.
Then, she must wait an additional three days before getting the legal medical procedure if the assholes at the anti-choice center/group haven't scared the shit out of her. From a NYT piece on this crap:
A law signed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard on Tuesday makes the state the first to require women who are seeking abortions to first attend a consultation at such “pregnancy help centers,” to learn what assistance is available “to help the mother keep and care for her child.”
The legislation, which passed easily in a state Legislature where Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 3 to 1, also establishes the nation’s longest waiting period — three days — after an initial visit with an abortion provider before the procedure can be done. It makes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest.
Many states require counseling from doctors or other clinic staff members before an abortion to cover topics like health risks. What makes the new South Dakota law different is that the mandated counseling will come from people whose central qualification is that they are opposed to abortion.
This whole bit of bullshit goes to what the GOP thinks is THE most important thing to get done this year.
It's not about the economy, the recession or about creating jobs. It's about stopping a woman's right to choose. It's about outlawing a legal medical procedure for the rightwing nutters in both the federal and state governments.
24 States have or are currently attacking a woman's right to choose, also known as reproductive rights, by requiring them to attend 'counseling' sessions at anti-choice centers. The Guttmacher.org site lists them all here. The site also provides a plethora of information about all the actions being taken to outlaw what is a legal medical procedure. Read the following and get pissed:
34 states require that women receive counseling before an abortion is performed: 24 of these states detail the information a woman must be given; 10 states have abortion-specific requirements generally following the established principles of informed consent.
25 of these states also require women to wait a specified amount of time—most often 24 hours—between the counseling and the abortion procedure.
7 states require that all counseling be provided in person and that the counseling take place before the waiting period begins, thereby necessitating two separate trips to the facility.
24 states direct the state health agency to develop written materials: 8 require that the materials be given to a woman seeking an abortion, 16 require that the materials be offered to her.
9 states require that the woman be informed that she cannot be coerced into obtaining an abortion.
Nearly all the states that require counseling require information about the abortion procedure and fetal development.
32 states require that the woman be given information about the specific procedure, while 19
require information about all common abortion procedures.
32 states require that the woman be told the gestational age of the fetus.
23 states include information on fetal development throughout pregnancy.
10 states include information on the ability of a fetus to feel pain.
10 states provide information on accessing ultrasound services. (See also Requirements for Ultrasound.)
22 states include information about the risks of abortion.
18 states include accurate information on the potential effect of abortion on future fertility; in 2
states, the written materials inaccurately portray this risk.
5 of the 7 states that include information on breast cancer inaccurately assert a link between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.
7 of the 20 states that include information on possible psychological responses to abortion describe only negative emotional responses.It's an all out war on women and their reproductive rights folks..and it's just begun. Lets give a big thank you to all the fuckwads that elected this crop of rightwing GOP nutters who think controlling women is far more important than creating jobs or righting our economic ship.
And they tell us they want smaller government. Lying sacks of shit....
