“…use this three-day period to make good choices.”

That is what Gov. Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, said in a statement today about the latest restriction on abortion that he signed into law.  And by “good choices” he means change your mind and give birth like a good Christian.

If you haven’t made yourself familiar with the law yet, it requires women to wait three days after meeting with the doctor that will perform the abortion before receiving the procedure.  Additionally, they are required to meet with someone from a CPC (crisis pregnancy center) to explore all alternatives before they can proceed with the abortion.  This is nothing more than joint state-religion filibustering of a personal medical procedure.

This law (like many of the laws requiring a waiting period between the pre-exam and the procedure, limits on when during the pregnancy you can receive an abortion, mandatory counseling/information) is intended to intimidate, harass, frighten and shame women into not making the best choice for themselves.  Instead women are being forced to submit to the will of someone else. 

South Dakota already makes it very difficult for a woman to obtain an abortion.  There is only one abortion clinic in the entire state.  Anyone seeking an abortion already has to go through pretty great lengths to just get to the abortion clinic.  Instituting a three day waiting period to give a women time to “make good choices” is insinuating that no time has been given to the matter to begin with.  Now, a woman traveling to Sioux Falls, only town in South Dakota with an abortion clinic, will either have to make the trip twice in the same week, or stay in town for three days.  This is both expensive and completely unnecessary.

I take special notice of the mandatory counseling from a CPC portion of this bill.  A woman is now being forced to have to discuss her very private matters with someone chosen by the State.  These CPCs are “pro-life”, conservative Christian groups that are designed to talk women out of abortion by whatever means necessary.  Is this not a huge violation of the Separation of Church & State?  CPCs are not medical clinics.  Their sole purpose is to provide information that supports their anti-choice position.  Additionally, the factual nature of the information they provide is highly dubious.  This is the last place a woman should go to receive unbiased medical advice.  Yet under this new law women are required to do so.

We have a similar law here in MN.  If you are under the age of 18 you need to notify both parents or get a judge to sign papers verifying that you are mature enough to make this decision and allowing you to proceed without parental consent.  This is just another example of our government forcing a young woman to disclose details of their personal business to as many people as possible.  Any law forcing a woman to discuss their bodies with anyone not of their choosing is abhorrent and only meant to continue to control women and remind them that they are whores and nothing more.

I am not surprised to hear about yet another bill from another state continuing to chip away at Roe vs. Wade.  I am furious.